But with the opportunity to spare his team some ignominious finishes, Wall dribbled around in circles with no urgency and made a floater in the lane after the final horn sounded in an 85-83 loss against Indiana; he hit the back of the rim on an errant three-point attempt as time expired in a 95-92 loss against Atlanta; and he front-rimmed a layup that could've given the Wizards a one-point lead in the closing seconds against Detroit.
"Sometimes you have to fall a little bit, before you get there and right now that's happening with him, but he'll learn from it," Roger Mason Jr. said about Wall. "You've just got to be mentally strong in this league. This league isn't for children. He'll be fine. He's tough-minded and it's going to make it that much more sweet when it goes the other way."
The late-game struggles have been a recent phenomenon, because just last month, Wall made a running one-hander to give the Wizards a one-point lead with 6.8 seconds left in Milwaukee — but the Bucks won a rebound tip on the next possession. He also made two layups in the final minute of regulation in the Wizards' 111-108 overtime win over Toronto.
Wall also had a reputation for coming through in clutch situations as a rookie, when he was 2 for 4 taking shots that could either tie or give his team the lead in the final minute last season. He delivered a bank three-pointer from 27 feet with 57.7 seconds remaining to give the Wizards a surprising 85-83 win over the Boston Celtics last January, and had the go-ahead dunk to give his team a 107-105 victory against the Pistons in April.
Wall missed a potential game-winner before an overtime win against Sacramento and another three-pointer in an eventual loss to Oklahoma City. But he also led the Wizards to comebacks against Philadelphia by coercing Jrue Holiday into fouling him from 40 feet out and forcing overtime by making three free throws. After a spirited home debut last season, then-coach Flip Saunders said about Wall, "His thing, he's got unbelievable will to win. He wants to take the last shot, he wants to take the big shot; he wants to make the play."
That hasn't changed, as Wall said he "fell short of a leader" after the loss to Atlanta and accepted the blame for the team's failings in the fourth quarter on Monday against the Pistons. "I put a lot of pressure on me," said Wall, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2010 draft. "When we lose these type of games, it's me as a point guard and a leader to get the best sets we have and the best plays to the best players."
Coach Randy Wittman refused to fault Wall, or any individual, for the Wizards' fourth-quarter breakdowns. In the past three games at home, the Wizards have been outscored, 81-46, and outrebounded, 45-20, in the fourth quarter. Indiana, Atlanta and Detroit have also held an edge of 27-4 in second-chance points in the final period.
0 意見:
Post a Comment