AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – If all went as planned, all the Washington Wizards would’ve had to play for Friday night at The Palace of Auburn Hills was maybe some playoff positioning.
A third straight postseason appearance was deemed a formality at the start of the season for a team with a veteran cast surrounding a couple of young stars in the back court. The belief continued over the next few months even as the Wizards plunged in the Eastern Conference standings without any sustained signs of playoff vitality. There was always time to fix the problems and recover.