The Washington Wizards haven’t reached even the Conference Finals in more than 25 years but that has not stopped the current edition of the team from being quite confident.
Prior to the season, stud shooting guard Bradley Beal declared the Wizards as the team to beat in the Eastern Conference, and on Friday, his back-court mate made a rather provocative statement on ESPN’s The Jump.
In advance of Washington’s first battle against LeBron James and the Cavaliers this season, All-Star point guard John Wall was asked about the contest and what it might mean for the future. On cue, he ventured into the past to shed light on what he felt the real motivation was behind Cleveland slipping out of the No. 1 seed prior to the 2017 NBA Playoffs.
John Wall believes LeBron and the Cavs intentionally dodged the Wizards in the playoffs last year. pic.twitter.com/H6QnWqh4yF
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) November 3, 2017
This isn’t the first time that the Wizards have stood on this hill, as Beal indicated in May that “Cleveland didn’t want to see” Washington a year ago. On one hand, it is not a surprise that a team with talent on the level of the Wizards would be confident in their ability to take down the defending conference champs in Cleveland. On the other, this will likely strike some as overconfidence, especially considering Washington’s inability to even knock off what many saw as an inferior Boston team in May.
If nothing else, Wall and company will have the opportunity to send something of a message to the struggling Cavs on Friday, but a comment like this might not be the best thing for the challengers. Oh, and it could awaken LeBron in a way that no opponent wants.
