Death Row DC
SPORTS - I always hear people talk about how much the city of D.C has changed in recent years, which it has in a major way. They always point out how gentrification snatched the culture from our beloved city. I never realized the change until I began to feel like a stranger in the neighborhood I grew up in. There is a new D.C that we live in, for some its hard to except and for the people who are just beginning their lives in Washington embrace the new culture. I miss the old culture, which I like to call the "old D.C'', or the "Real D.C", I hear stories from my uncle who is incarcerated about the city he knew, and all I can think about is his reaction when he comes home and see how different our city is. The D.C I knew was known for its hardworking, rough, and rugged attitude. I was able to feel that old D.C vibe every time I watched the Washington Wizards play this past NBA season. The team played with an edge, they never backed down from any opponent. Death Row DC has truly stuck with the fans of Washington, D.C because I believe there are more people that have my exact feelings about the image of the team. When the Wizards played at home it felt like a backyard pick-up game!
Death Row DC was introduced by Markieff Morris who believed that the team needed an attitude and an edge after coming off a 2-8 start. The team didn't play with a chip on their shoulders as they should have until Death Row was brought in. Starting point guard John Wall is 2pac because of his aggressive and crazy style of play and attitude. Bradley Beal is Dr. Dre, the man who makes everything flow as it should with his insane 3 point range, and because of Markieef Morris' laid back personality, he's Snoop, don't let the his personality fool you. Suge Knight is John Wall's body guard, David Best, check out what color suit he wore to Game 6.
For 17 straight games at the Verizon Center the Washington Wizards were playing their best ball in years. DC saw a new and improved Wizards team that had the swagger and confidence of a top NBA squad.
Watching the Wizards play reminded me of how DC was before gentrification, how ruff and rugged it was, and how many people who lived here had an edge. What I loved most was that the players goal was to win for the city of DC, they wanted to protect home court because they knew how much it meant to the fans. Death Row was the new image of the Washington Wizards. They played with aggression and determination and willed themselves to the longest home win streak in franchise history.
February 6th, 2017, the Washington Wizards matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers was highly anticipated. The game had so many people intrigued. Days before the game its was added to NBA on TNT as the Game of the Week. Arguably the best game on TNT in the '16-'17 regular season.
The Wizards and Cavaliers were neck and neck throughout the entire game. The Wizards would make a run and the Cavs would answer with a barrage of threes. With under five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, LeBron James launches a three to take a 104-102 lead. John Wall then drives to the basket and lays in an acrobatic layup and ties the game at 104 a piece. James again answers back with a three, then Wall finds Bradley Beal in the corner for another three that ties the game once again. This game had everyone at the edge of their seats. Now down to 45 seconds in the game, the Wizards are down by three and desperately need a basket. John Wall catches a pass that's nearly stolen, passes the ball to Beal for a catch and shoot and Beal drains the three. TIED AGAIN! A Markieff Morris put back gives the Wizards a 118-117 lead over the Cavs with 12 seconds left in the game which makes LeBron James rush down the court for the leading basket, James drives and misses the layup! Wall rebounds the ball and he heads to the free throw line, After Wall drains both shots I began to think to myself "are the Wizards foreal?" Wizards now lead 120-117 with 3 seconds remaining. Kevin Love launches a chest pass into LeBron James hands and James gathers the ball and hits a turn around three falling out of bounds. We are headed into overtime, The Wizards ended up losing that night 140-135. Despite the loss I was proud because I saw a Wizards team that played a fought with passion and grinded and earned everything they received on the floor that night.
Fast- forward to a few months later to Game 1 of the Wizards/Hawks series aka the MMA fight according to the Atlanta Hawks, Paul Millsap, The first half of the game the Washington Wizards found themselves struggling to maintain a lead. As for the second half, the Wizards pounced on the Hawks as they never gave up the lead again. Millsap and Morris were having a war with words throughout the game as Morris went on to his best performance in his first career playoff game. His aggression and energy inspired the team as they began to look like that 17 win streak team. Late in the first quarter Marcin Gortat delivered a huge slam dunk over Millsap which after he pushed and had a few words for. The Verizon Center went crazy! The toughness was there and it was beauty to the eyes of every Wizards fan. While Millsap believed the Wizards were playing dirty, many were impressed with the new aggressive style of play the Wizards showed in the first round of the playoffs.
If Paul Millsap thought the first round was a MMA fight, he wouldn't want any parts of the second round matchup between the Washington Wizards and the Boston Celtics. The Wizards and Celtics traded blows night in and night out throughout the entire series that led to technical fouls and a suspension. For a second I thought I was watching a Bad Boy Pistons series. These teams had bad blood for one another, and it was loud and clear that their weren't going to be any making up anytime soon. Despite losing to the Celtics in a 7 game series, the Wizards set the tone for themselves and also sent a message to the entire NBA, more importantly the Cleveland Cavaliers,
With the offseason approaching, the Washington Wizards have a lot of decisions to make involving their future. Otto Porter Jr is now a free agent that more than likely is seeking a max deal similar to Bradley Beal's in 2016. Marcin Gortat is frustrated with his role in Washington and may be out of the door sooner than later. Ian Mahinmi didn't show his worth after signing a 4yr/$64 million contract this past summer. Most importantly, John Wall doesn't want to talk about a contract extension until he knows the future plans of the franchise. Wall has been stressing that the team needs a third star for the longest. After missing out on Kevin Durant the Wizards have found themselves leaning on John Wall and Bradley Beal to take them to the top, unfortunately they need more help. One name continues to come to my mind. That name is Demarcus Cousins who in 2018 will be a unrestricted free agent. I believe the Wizards should strongly consider bringing in a guy like Cousins because of his excellent offensive talents and rebounding. Despite his lack on defense I believe he would still be force defensively because of his aggression alone. The Wizards are a team defense team and I believe Cousins would mesh well with the team.
The thought of having a team with John Wall, Bradley Beal, Markieff Morris, and Demarcus Cousins is just music to my ears. The amount of toughness this team would have would help will the team over tough opponents and I believe will challenge the Cavaliers for he Eastern Conference. Could we be in store for adding another Suge Knight? The Wizards have to continue to be the tough team they have become, adding Cousins would not only keep Wall in D.C, it will have him at the top of his game. The Wizards brought back the old D.C this past season, lets hope they continue doing so in years to come.
