ANALYSIS/OPINION:
Grizzled veteran Paul Pierce reached the playoffs in 11 of 15 NBA campaigns entering this season, his first with the Washington Wizards.
In his previous postseason trips, Pierce’s team managed just one sweep, whisking the New York Knicks in 2011. He twice was on the broom’s wrong end, as New Jersey swept his Boston Celtics in 2003 and Indiana did likewise in 2004.
After the Wizards beat Toronto on Friday for a 3-0 lead in their best-of-seven series, Pierce told his teammates that closing out to complete the sweep would be their hardest contest yet.