Even with a Game 7 loss, Bradley Beal had a career-defining night

Even with a loss in Game 7, Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal took a huge step forward for his career

It’s pretty well known that throughout NBA history, legends are made on the road in Boston. The then-Boston Garden, and now TD Garden, is historically speaking, one of the toughest places to thrive.

Heading into Monday night’s Game 7 against the Celtics, the Washington Wizards had a chance to accomplish something truly special. Following a season-saving shot from John Wall in Game 6, expectations were high that Wall would be able to step up in Game 7. Unfortunately for the Wizards, he wasn’t able to reach that level again (which is, in large part, due to exhaustion).

However, a Wizard did still have a career-defining game, it just wasn’t John Wall…it was Bradley Beal.

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Throughout the entirety of the second half, the Wizards found themselves struggling to catch up to the Celtics. (Such has been the case for D.C. on the road this

series

playoffs.) A large part of that was due to their lackluster bench which, when combined, tallied a total of five points, two rebounds, one assist and one block.

We all knew heading into Game 7 that Washington would have to heavily rely on their two star players, John Wall and Bradley Beal. The duo who, by the way, have played more combined minutes than any other duo this playoffs (1012 minutes).

Those minutes started to weigh heavily on the two , in Game 7, Wall a little more than Beal, but the duo still played incredibly well. Wall, who went 1-10 at one stretch, put up 18 points and 11 assists in his final game of the playoffs. It was a solid end to what was an incredible playoff run for the 26-year-old, a run which seems to have cemented his spot as the top point guard in the Eastern Conference.

But Game 7 wasn’t about Wall, it was about Beal.

Beal’s big night and what it means

After signing a max deal with the Washington Wizards last summer, expectations for Bradley Beal were very high. He definitely reached those expectations in the regular season, but in the postseason he surpassed them. At no time was that most apparent than his performance last night.

Beal’s stat line was an incredibly impressive 38 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals, while shooting 12-22 from the floor, 5-10 from the three and 9-10 from the free throw line. It was, by far, one of the best individual Game 7 performances in Wizards history. Granted, Washington hasn’t played in a Game 7 since 1979…but still, Beal was historically good Monday night.

Though when asked about his performance after the game, Beal made it known that he’d much rather have had a win.

"[via Washington Post]“I don’t care how well I played. . . . I hate losing. Especially when we felt like we were the better team.”"

The historical significance of the night isn’t why this game is so important for Beal’s career, there’s so much more to it than just that.

Something that’s minor, yet still notable, is what he did in the fourth quarter that wasn’t necessarily his play. Following an Isaiah Thomas three-pointer, with 10:00 minutes remaining in the game, Wizards coach Scott Brooks called a timeout and Bradley Beal did the unexpected.

But Game 7 wasn’t about Wall, it was about Beal

He gathered his teammates around him and absolutely lit into them. He was visibly upset with the team’s production to start the fourth quarter and made it known to them, and in turn, the Wizards came out of the timeout with a 7-0 run.

Unfortunately for Washington, they weren’t able to maintain that pace for the rest of the game, but Beal stepping up like that means something. Not only that, but the way the team responded to his action means something too. It could very well mean that if Beal wants to step into a larger leadership role, the team will be willing to listen.

That’s incredible for a 23-year-old like himself. Which brings us to the best part, in that he is still only 23 years old. If you need reference as to how good he is at his age, then it suits you well to know that Beal is less than sixth months older than Buddy Hield and five months older than Denzel Valentine. If you didn’t know, Beal is significantly better than those two not only on their traditional stats:

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/16/2017.

…but in advanced:

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/16/2017.

…and per 100 possessions too:

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/16/2017.

There’s no doubt that what Bradley Beal is doing is beyond incredible for his age, especially at his position. Part of that is due to John Wall’s ability to make his teammates better, but most of it is on Beal.

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He’s incredibly talented and his future is bright, and his pairing with John Wall gives the Washington Wizards an increasingly bright future too.