Think back to peak prognostication season in mid-October. After the Wizards halted last year's playoff run in such a demoralizing fashion, most fans were simply clinging to the dream of just one measly, first-round series win. A lot of really smart people weren't even sure that was possible.
The forecast was foggy at best. Kyle Lowry was skinny, but would anything really change in regards to his durability?Where was the bench scoring going to come from? What about DeRozan? How good could this team really be?
Through a combination of Lowry playing at an All-NBA level, DeRozan turning in a career season, the bench coalescing into a defense-first, cohesive unit, Jonas Valanciunas's incremental growth taking off, some gritty playoff efforts and so much more, the answer to that final question became resounding and indisputable.