Washington, D.C., sports fans were in need of a break. John Wall delivered for them.
On Friday night, Wall hit a game-winning 3-pointer with 3.5 seconds left to send the Washington Wizards to a Game 7 for the first time since 1979 against the Spurs in the Eastern Conference finals.
The shot
Neither Wall nor his teammates were shooting well from the 3-point line before his game-winner. Before the shot, Wall was 1-of-4 on 3-pointers, and his teammates were 3-of-19 (15.8 percent).
The shot was his first career go-ahead 3-pointer in the final 10 seconds (regular season or playoffs). He had missed his previous six such attempts.
Wall's shot was the first game-tying or go-ahead 3-pointer in the final 10 seconds of an elimination game since Ray Allen hit one for the Heat against the Spurs in Game 6 of the 2013 Finals.
After a sluggish start, Wall stepped it up in the second half, scoring 23 of the Wizards' 51 points.
What Game 7 means for Washington
The Wizards became the first home team this postseason to win when facing elimination. Teams were 0-10 before Friday night.
A Game 7 in Boston will be a different beast for Washington. The home team has won all 10 games between the Wizards and Celtics this season (including regular season and playoffs).
Game 7 history has been friendly to the Wizards, who are 6-3 all time in such games. However, the franchise has not played in a Game 7 since the 1979 Eastern Conference finals against the Spurs.
