Nov 7, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Washington Wizards guard
John Wall(2) and Toronto Raptors guard
Kyle Lowry(7) point out the play in the first period. Toronto won 103-84. Mandatory Credit: Peter Llewellyn-USA TODAY Sports
(4) Toronto Raptors vs (5) Washington Wizards
Key Matchups: John Wall vs Kyle Lowry
Season Series: Raptors won 3-0
Wizards
In a battle of two teams that no one really knows what to expect from, the Washington Wizards come looking to do what the Brooklyn Nets did to the Raptors last season — best them when it matters most.
Did the Raptors learn anything from last season? We’ll see. But if there’s one team that knows a thing or two about the playoffs, it’s this Washington Wizards team. They beat the Bulls in the first round last season before losing to the Pacers in the conference semifinals. They added the savvy veteran Paul Pierce in the offseason for just this moment.
We’ll see if it pays off.
Oh, by the way, if we get nothing else from this Wizards team, we at least get to see playoff John Wall. That in itself is worth our trouble.
Raptors
Coming off last season’s hearbreak to the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the playoffs, the Toronto Raptors will look to avenge their early exit.
Led by Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, the Raptors will need consistency in order to get by the Wizards. Quite frankly, whichever team finds that consistency first will probably end up winning this series.
If it’s any consolation though, the Raptors did handle the Wizards three times this season rather easily. We’ll see if that matters at all in this first round series, though.