In Game 6 at Verizon Center on Thursday, the Washington Wizards will have an opportunity to tie their best-of-seven series with the Indiana Pacers.
One would think that having that opportunity at home would be advantageous to the Wizards, but they -- at least half-jokingly -- do not see it that way.
“I’m glad I was part of that team that won today and dominated, but again, we can’t get excited,” center Marcin Gortat said following his 31-point performance in Game 5. “We can’t get excited. We gotta do the same thing in D.C. it’s not gonna be easy. It sounds crazy, but unfortunately we gonna play at home. And everybody knows how we play at home. So it’s gonna be tough, but we gotta win it.”
The Wizards are 1-3 at home in the postseason compared to 5-1 on the road. That .833 road winning percentage puts them in exclusive company with six other teams that have finished with that percentage or better:
- 1982-83 Philadelphia 76ers (5-1)
- 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers (6-1)
- 1990-91 Chicago Bulls (7-1)
- 1988-89 Detroit Pistons (7-1)
- 1998-99 San Antonio Spurs (8-1)
- 2000-01 Lakers (8-0)
What do those listed teams all have in common? All six were NBA champions that season.
Of course, let us not get ahead of ourselves. The Wizards are looking to become just the ninth team in NBA history to advance following a 3-1 series deficit.
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Of those eight, only two have done so by winning two of the final three games on the road. When you think about it, that actually seems to work in Washington's favor.
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