Wizards Crushed the Raptors

Washington crushed the hopes of the Toronto Raptors prior to the win of the wizards that leads the team to a 3-0 advantage. The veteran Paul Pierce contributed big in their surge. As a free-agent addition last summer, this time of the year is when they figured having him around would pay off most. ESPNNewYork.com’s Ohm Youngmisuk reports that Pierce has had a profound impact on strengthening the playoff mettle of Bradley Beal and Otto Porter:

Paul Pierce has spent all season trying to pass along wisdom to John Wall and Bradley Beal and make them better leaders. In Game 1, the two guards had off shooting nights but still made contributions in other areas to help Washington take the opening game. In Game 2, Pierce beamed after seeing Wall and Beal combine to score 54 points. Wall, and particularly Beal, played with attitude. In Game 3, Paul contributes clutch triples for the win.

Pierce is most proud of is the play of young Otto Porter. The second-year pro who has struggled since being drafted third overall in 2013 — he averaged 6.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 0.9 assists in 19.4 minutes a game with an 11.6 PER this season — has become sort of Pierce’s pet project.

Porter emerges off the bench in Game 2 from the bench and had 15 points in 35 minutes. Playing more minutes than any other Wizard not named Wall or Beal; Porter made 6 of 8 shots, including two 3-pointers. And of his nine boards, four came on the offensive glass.

“He’s getting confident,” Pierce said. “He’s growing. I think at the end of the year, he finally got the opportunity to play more minutes and his confidence has just been growing going into the playoffs.

“I am steadily trying to feed it every day in the game and practice. He has a lot of potential, man. He can be the X factor for us and he’s proving that right now in this series.”

So even when Pierce isn’t hitting a ton of daggers like in Game 2, his impact can be felt in the play of Porter.

“He’s unbelievable as far as mentoring,” Porter said. “[He] really doesn’t have to say much. It’s just what he does.

“And for me, a young guy, I am willing to see that and I am going to soak as much up as I can by just watching him, how he comes in and prepares, how focused he is, his routines, things like that.”