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1. Wizards grind out 96-94 overtime win
A win is a win, and the win against the Pacers put the Wizards at 4-1 on the season while riding an early four-game win streak. The Wizards are missing key players but it's nothing compared to what Indiana is dealing with. Their fill-ins did much more than expected, though, giving the Wizards major fits all night. Paul Pierce wasn't able to save the day this time but John Wall stepped up in overtime to give Washington the hard-fought win in its first nationally televised appearance of the season.
Here are the recaps.
2. What happened on the Pacers' last play in OT?
In a two-point game, a Pacers player found himself wide open, preparing himself for a potentially game-winning three-point shot. My heart sank. Then I noticed how huge that player was and realized it was Pacers center Roy Hibbert. My heart recovered quickly, especially seeing his attempt clank off the rim as the clock ran out.
3. Pierce adjusting to role as mentor
Nobody wants to read as I rattle off achievement after achievement throughout Pierce's career, so I'll just get to the point: Pierce is a legendary, Hall of Fame player.
Now that he's a Wizards player, he isn't expected to put up those same numbers as he has over the years. He just needs to be a part of a well-balanced team that already has its own budding young stars to help him try to reach another NBA Finals championship.
"The difference is, we already have our anchors in Wall and Beal," said Phil Chenier, a shooting guard on Washington's 1978 NBA championship team and a local television analyst for the past three decades. "When Bernard came, he was our new identity. When Mitch came, we were still expecting him to be a 20-point scorer every night. And even Michael, even though he retired and came back again and again, he was still MJ, and that expectation to be MJ was there."
"Paul still has a lot to offer. But he's not coming to save a team. He's coming to supplement a team that was very close a year ago to the conference finals."
4. Pierce turns back the clock
Ladies and gentlemen, you did not teleport back in time at one point during last night's game. Pierce, in the year 2014, really did rise up and throw down a huge dunk (plus the foul) for a momentum-building start to overtime.
That really happened.
5. "Dagger!" will now live forever
For years, it's been WIzards play-by-play commentator Steve Buckhantz' go-to call for backbreaking buckets that essentially seal the victory for either the Wizards or their opponent at the end of a game. Now you can wear the call all day, every day as it finally makes its worldwide debut on a t-shirt. Here's what they look like.
Steve Buckhantz is selling "Dagger" t-shirts. So are the Wizards. Details here: http://t.co/6XtsyLKVps pic.twitter.com/HfEpiElgI0
— Dan Steinberg (@dcsportsbog) November 5, 2014
This is so awesome.