Wizards Attempt to Close Out Series With Bulls

The Washington Wizards are one win away from their third second-round appearance since 1982.

A victory against the Chicago Bulls in Game 5 Tuesday would have the Wizards sitting pretty as they await the winner of the Indiana Pacers/Atlanta Hawks series, which the eighth-seeded Hawks have a 3-2 lead in.

All-time, the Wizards are 5-0 in playoff series when they have a 3-1 lead. Meanwhile, the Bulls are 0-8 in the same scenario. Only eight teams in NBA history have rallied from 3-1 down to win a seven-game series, most recently the 2006 Phoenix Suns against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Wizards forward Drew Gooden was on one of those eight teams that blew such a lead: the 2003 Orlando Magic. As a rookie, Gooden witnessed the Magic lose to the Detroit Pistons in seven games.

"We had a chance to put 'em down and finish them and we didn't -- and then they started a dynasty in the Eastern Conference for the next five, six years," Gooden told reporters Monday. "That was something I always looked back at. We could've beat that team, being up 3-1, just one (more) game. Who knows?"

The Wizards hope to avoid asking themselves the same question.