Boston Celtics: Hornets, Pacers, Wizards – Who should Cs want to face?

Why the Boston Celtics should want to face Washington

Currently behind the rest of the pack, the Washington Wizards have come on strong late in the season, but without Bradley Beal in the lineup, the Wizards are a far easier matchup to maneuver through than any of the other options.

Essentially, a Russell Westbrook letdown leads to a win over Washington. No other player on the Wizards could create the sort of offense he does through both his shooting and his facilitation. He makes teammates better by attracting so much attention on the floor.

Without another player even more capable at all of the aforementioned attributes in Beal off the floor, Brad Stevens’ game-plan against the Wizards is the simplest: stop Westbrook.

Why the Boston Celtics shouldn’t want to face Washington

Asking for a Russell Westbrook letdown at this point in the season is a tough ask. He has recorded a triple-double in eight of his last nine games and is coming off of a 28-point, 21-assist, 13-rebound masterpiece against the current #5-seeded Atlanta Hawks.

In a one game playoff game to decide who goes on to the next round, Westbrook is perhaps the scariest singular force of any team still looking to scrape by into the Eastern Conference postseason.