A dormant fanbase awakens as young Wizards erupt in a fourth-quarter surge, igniting hope on national television.
With just minutes left between the Wizards and Bucks, the Wizards were once again in a tightly contested final quarter. On a night where the team celebrated John Wall, the team was in danger of another fourth-quarter blunder.
But then, something unexpected happened in Capital One Arena.
"Let's Go Wizards!" chants rained from the lower level, all the way to the nosebleed seats. It wasn't just a few people, like when Alex Sarr received MVP chants against the Orlando Magic.
This was a fanbase awakening. The chants were audibly loud. "Defense!" screams echoed during Milwaukee's final possessions. If you've been in the building over the course of the Wizards' rebuild, you'd know this was atypical.
"It was great; I feel like the arena was loud," Sarr said. "I was happy to see the love the city gave [John Wall.]"
Another atypical aspect of all this; the team had just its second game on a national broadcast. Amazon Prime covered the game, with Wall serving as one of the analysts.
The young Wizards heard the cries of a fanbase desperate to see the team return to the form it was when Wall was a player. Washington closed the game on an 8-0 run, finishing off a reeling Milwaukee squad without Giannis Antetokounmpo. With Antetokounmpo reportedly looking for a trade out, the walls are closing in on the Bucks.
The Wizards' front office asked for patience from their fans. They sold them a picture of a bright future, but made it clear the process would feature plenty of dark days. A third-straight year of losing is tumultuous for fans, but last night might be an indication that a dormant fanbase is starting to thaw.
Sarr and Kyshawn George, two of Washington's most intriguing sophomore players, came through in the final minutes on both ends. Sarr scored 16 points and posted a career-high 17 rebounds. George scored a team-high 23 points, eight of them in the final quarter. Sarr did this despite nearly missing the game due to illness.
Wall said a double-double should be a nightly expectation for Sarr. The second-year center did that and then some -- grabbing seven offensive rebounds. He's recorded back-to-back double-doubles.
The Wizards have shown in flashes what they'll one day be capable of. The process is more important than the results, but next year, Washington will no longer have anything holding it back from aiming for results.
"We're making a ton of winning plays out there, and that's good momentum for our team, and it's a good growth," Wizards head coach Brian Keefe said.
President of Monumental Basketball, Michael Winger, told reporters they wouldn't put a barometer on how successful the team should be next year, but he said he expects a better, more competitive team.
The team has shown they take pride in their growth. Reporters said they could hear cheers and celebration in the locker room following the game.
George said he was especially happy with the last two wins because they've found ways to close out games, which was a major flaw of the team in the first half of the year.
Washington didn't play its best brand of basketball by any stretch of the imagination. There were tough stretches offensively, as it shot 39.% from the field and 22.9% from three. Still, its defense kept them above water.
"We're doing the simple stuff well," George said. "I think when we focus on that, it leads to winning."
The last couple of nights of Wizards basketball have felt like a message from the organization. The team is playing with an edge and fire that it didn't always portray. To the casual fan, they'd see the 12-34 record and tune the team out. The fans paying attention see growth. On a night many fans reminisced on the nights when Captial One Arena rocked because of Wall, they realized their desire to feel that way again.
The process has beaten fandom to the ground. Nobody wants to sit through year after year of non-competitive basketball. However, last night could mark a turning point in the city's interest in its local hoops.