Not long ago, radio phone lines burned with anger directed at the coach and wonder about where the Washington Wizards were going. A hope-filled first half of the season was coming undone. Irritated chatter among the players — debates about defensive coverages and who was shooting when — seeped through the feel-good brewed from the team’s 31-15 start.
Then, this series happened. The first sweep in franchise history was emphatic and unrelenting. Sunday night’s 125-94 win over the Toronto Raptors put the Wizards into the Eastern Conference semifinals for the second consecutive season.