FanPost

The silver lining of Kelly Oubre's absence

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Kelly Oubre was ejected from Game 3 after an attack on Celtics center Kelly Olynyk following a series of illegal screens. Oubre has been suspended for game 4 . Losing Oubre will hurt for game 4, but this suspension also changes the game and the overarching series in the Wizards' favor.

First, not having Oubre available off the bench will mean that Brooks will have to compensate with more playing time for Porter and Bogdanovic, both of whom are not places for Brad Stevens to hide Isaiah Thomas' defense.

So far, Boston would hide Thomas' defensive shortcomings by putting him on Kelly Oubre, but in Game 4 this won't be an option. Also, after Porter exploited Thomas in Game 3, expect Brad Stevens to make some changes about where to put Thomas. With either Porter or Bogdanovic in the game at all times as the small forward, I expect one of two things: either Thomas will be covering a guard or Al Horford will double Porter in the post more. Both of these are very good scenarios for the Wizards, as both Wall and Beal could expose Thomas even more so than could Porter and doubling Porter means somebody will always be open, either a shooter (Beal, Wall, Morris) or Gortat down low.

Having Oubre off the floor will help the Wizards' offensive game, but Oubre is the best defender on Thomas because of his ability to deny him the ball and tire him out. Oubre's length allows him to get steals off of lazy passes, which ends up making Thomas work harder to get open (and making Olynyk make illegal screens). Oubre's absence will hurt the Wizards' defense.

In the context of the larger series, Oubre taking a stand is a very good thing for the Wizards. In Games 1 and 2, the Celtics were much more physical than were the Wizards, and it showed. In Game 2, Jaylen Brown guarded Bradley Beal very physically and Beal could not deal with it. Oubre set the precedent for more physical play from here on out, which takes away the edge that gave Boston a 2-0 lead to start. This also will make the referees more vigilant toward certain Olynyk screens and other questionable plays. With Oubre's actions, I think the Wizards will start playing more like the #DeathRowDC crew they're claiming to be.

Oubre's actions will definitely change the series. Just how so, we will see. But a more physical Washington team cannot be a good thing for Boston fans.

This represents the view of the user who wrote the FanPost, and not the entire Bullets Forever community. We're a place of many opinions, not just one.