After a few stellar defensive efforts, an offensive outburst by Paul George, and the return of Roy Hibbert to his All-Star form during the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Indiana Pacers had built a 3-1 series lead and appeared ready to challenge for an NBA Finals berth. Game 5, however, brought expectations crashing back down and raised the same old questions all over again.
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The entire team was a mess, especially Hibbert who managed just four points, three assists and two rebounds in 25 minutes. The Pacers were minus-25 with him on the floor. Making matters worse, he was next to useless when defending against Wizards center Marcin Gortat who had a career night.
Gortat piled up 31 points and 16 rebounds while shooting 13-of-15 from the field. Pacers forward David West, who led the squad with six rebounds, chided Indiana's effort level after the 102-70 beating.
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"We didn't show up to play. I don't know if we just thought we were going to come in here and these guys were going to roll over or what. They just played at a different level than we did all night," West said. "It's a tough situation. We have to be able to handle these moments. We had no zip. We have to play. If we want this series, we have to take it."
The mentality West described was completely opposite of Gortat's remarks regarding Washington's approach. "We don't have anything to lose now," Gortat said.
"We play desperate. At the end of the day, we might lose. We have to play every minute of every game like it's the last one of the season."
George cannot escape blame for the loss either, however, as he both failed to contain Wizards point guard John Wall and made just 5-of-15 shots from the field. His shooting has been spotty in Round 2, and this time the defense wasn't there to make up for it.
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