Any NBA die-hard will tell you the NBA playoffs are all about matchups. When teams are facing each other up to seven times over a three week period, they become very familiar with each other’s strengths and weaknesses. And when teams as evenly matched as the Bulls and Wizards square off, it’s usually the play of the bench that decides the outcome. To wit:
Game 1: Ben Gordon scores 12 of his 30 points in the 4th quarter and the Bulls win.
Game 2: Gordon scores 14 and Kirk Hinirch, after being benched early, gets out of the doghouse with 21 big points in the fourth quarter for the Bulls.
Game 3: Etan Thomas scores 20 points and pulls down 9 boards and the Wizards roll.
Game 4: Juan Dixon comes off the bench and drops a career high 35 on the unsuspecting Bulls, leading the Wiz to a 106-99 win that wasn’t nearly as close as the final score indicates.
According to ESPN.com, Dixon, who played 31 minutes and shot 11 of 15 from the field, became just the third player in NBA history to score at least 35 points in a playoff game after averaging fewer than 10 points per game during the regular season. As if that wasn’t enough, the Wizards held the Bulls to a meager 33% from the field and built up a 14 point first quarter lead that doubled in the second half. “That would be a whupping where I come from,” Bulls Coach Scott Skiles told the Post. “And there would be a word in front of that, too.” Indeed.
Chris Duhon missed the game for the Bulls with a back injury sustained in the pre game shootaround. Washington’s Kwame Brown also missed the game due to a case of apparent food poisoning. The team will know today if he plans to play in Game 5 on Wednesday in Chicago.
UPDATE: DCist reader Alex C points out that Brown has just been suspended by the Wizards for the remainder of the playoffs. “Coach [Eddie] Jordan and I met Kwame this morning. The three of us felt it was best for both the Wizards organization and Kwame that he no longer participate in the remainder of the playoffs,” Wizards president of basketball operations Ernie Grunfeld said in a statement. Thanks Alex!
