NBA

Maybe it isn’t fair to compare the Golden State Warriors, who finished their sweep of the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night, with the Washington Wizards, who are flailing in their series with the Atlanta Hawks.

The Warriors won a championship in 2015 and were one win away from doing it again last year, so they’re tested and loaded with star-level talent. The Wizards, after a breakthrough regular season, are finding the playoff road tougher.

Golden State finished off Portland 128-103 in a runaway that saw Steph Curry score 37 points without even playing in the fourth quarter. The Warriors shot 53.5 percent from the floor and 58.6 percent on 3-pointers. That will stretch a defense. They turned the ball over only 10 times.

The Wizards, meanwhile, jumped out to a 2-0 advantage in their series with the Hawks and now are tied 2-2. Monday night’s game was hard on the eyes as the Hawks beat them 111-101.

Neither team shot remotely as well as the Warriors (no surprise there). The Wizards hit 42.4 percent, the Hawks 44.4 percent, and the teams combined for 27 turnovers.

Some of us (guilty) continue to prematurely bury the Hawks, who too often look like five guys on the court instead of a team. Maybe the Wizards, who at times have their own chemistry issues, are bringing out the best in them.

The series moves back to Washington, where the Wizards won the first two games, on Wednesday night. The Wizards are good enough not to make an exit this early. Whether they’re good enough to prosper in the next round against either the Chicago Bulls or Boston Celtics is a question for next week.
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman