The Raptors are 2-2 against the Wizards this season. John Wall has played in exactly none of those games. So on paper, it might say the Wizards are the 8th seed, but in my humble opinion if they were healthy this entire season they would have finished 5th in the East.

Regular Season Meeting One

On November 5th, Bradley Beal put up 38 points on 61.5% shooting from the field. The only starter that really did anything for the Raptors in this game was Norman Powell who put up 19 points on 7 of 13 shooting. DeRozan only shot 38% in this game. Lowry only had 2 points coming purely from the free throw line, but I believe this might have been the game he was ejected from. The Raptors starting bigs also did nothing. Ibaka shot 25% from the field and Valanciunas only had 6 points. The craziest thing about this game is the Wizards point guards Tomas Satoransky and Tim Fraizer only combined for 4 points and yet the Wizards won 107-96.

Meeting Deux

On November 19th, Bradley Beal may not have dropped 38 again, but he still put up 27 points while shooting 5 of 9 from three. On the flipside, Markieff Morris somehow shot a horrendous 1 of 10 from the field finishing with only 3 points. DeRozan came through by putting up 33 points on 58% shooting. However, Valanciunas only shot 2 of 7, but did have 7 rebounds and a pair of blocks. The Raptors won this game 100-91.

Meeting Trois

On February 1st, Beal dropped 27 again wasn’t quite as efficient, but no one really played poorly on the Wizards. Thankfully in this game, Kyle Lowry finally showed up as did the rest of the starters. Lowry dropped 29 points on 10 of 19 shooting. Valanciunas shot 7 of 8 helping him put up 17 points. However, the Raptors bench pooped the bed in this one. The Raptors lost 122-119.

Meeting Quatre

On March 2nd, guess who dropped 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists? It was Bradley Beal. Otto Porter also had a good game delivering 24 points on an impressive 9 of 12 shooting, but this time the Wizards bench stank up the joint. Norman Powell started and had 0 points on two shot attempts in 17 minutes. CJ Miles came through big time shooting 6 of 9 from three and finishing with 20 points. The Raptors won this game 102-95.

Building A Wall

As you might have noticed John Wall’s name was not mentioned in any of those recaps. It is because John Wall didn’t play in any of the four meetings this season. It is common knowledge Wall doesn’t always get along with his teammates, but I think it’s hard to suggest the Wizards are better off without him. Wall might not be a good shooter, but he’s a tremendous playmaker. The Raptors have been able to guard the high-volume scoring point guards quite well this season. However, it’s PGs like John Wall that have shown to give them problems. A big worry I have is that the Raptors will collapse on John Wall by sending multiple defenders giving him the opportunity to kick out any number of guys for an open three.

The Real Deal Bradley Beal

Bradley Beal is good. Bradley Beal is really good. He has essentially been unstoppable against the Raptors this season. Part of the problem has been the DeMar DeRozan has primarily been guarding Beal. I love DeRozan and he’s an elite offensive player in the league, but boy does he suck on the defensive side. At no point in this series should DeRozan be guarding Bradley Beal.

  Photo taken by Keith Allison

Bench MOB

One of the Raptors biggest advantages in this series is their depth. Fred VanVleet is not only one of the Raptors best three-point shooters, but he’s also a solid defender. Pascal Siakam might not be able to shoot jumpers at all, but his energy is fantastic. He finds ways to be effective defensively while being able to attack the rim and find teammates on the offensive side of the ball. Delon Wright can guard three positions. Does he sometimes hesitate on jumpers? Yes, but he uses his size and length to attack the rim. Looking at Jakob Poeltl you wouldn’t think he’s a good mobile defender, but he is. Plus, he’s pretty good at finishing around the bucket. CJ Miles is a three-point special and when he’s hitting three’s he’s fire.

The Others

It’s unclear whether Norman Powell or Bebe will play in this series, but they both have utility. Powell might not be able to shoot anymore, but the energy he brings on the defensive side of the ball really seems to get other guys going. With Bebe when he’s on he’s on. Very few players of his size can fly up and down the court. He’s not a terrific rebounder, but he is a terrific shot blocker.

Bench Mage

The Wizards bench is better than last year, but it still isn’t good. Kelly Oubre is their best weapon off the bench and he is pretty solid. However, it’s telling when the Wizards had to sign a guy like Ty Lawson for the playoffs.

Wizards Game Plan

The weakest points in the Raptors defense are the shooting guard and center positions. That means we will likely see a heavy dose of plays run for Bradley Beal and Marcin Gortat.

  Photo taken by Keith Allison

3 Keys To Victory

1. The Raptors have to figure out how to guard Bradley Beal. The Raptors might have to put OG Anunoby or Delon Wright on Beal which should be more effective than having DeRozan guard him.
2. Marcin Gortat seems to have his way with Jonas Valanciunas. That cannot happen. Valanciunas on paper should be able to deal with declining Marcin Gortat.
3. Dwane Casey has to be adaptable. If a player isn’t performing Casey has the luxury of the deep bench to say next man up. Casey is a coach of the year candidate this season because of how creative he's been. It's time to use that creativity in the post-season.

Prediction

My greatest worry is that the Raptors won’t be able to hit threes and the Wizards will play zone, but the Raptors have enough talent to get buckets from other places. The Wizards did sweep the Raptors in the playoffs three years ago. They are likely going to come in confident. The Wizards are a decent enough team that they can give the Raptors problems so I think they can draw this series out. I personally believe the Raptors will win this series because they have homecourt advantage. The Raptors are tied with the Rockets with the best home record in the league. My official prediction is the Raptors will win this series in 7 games in front of the amazing home crowd for that final game at the ACC.