Scott Brooks has seen enough. If the Wizards coach wasn’t irritated enough when his team blew a 17-point lead against the Cavs, he was downright livid the next night when Washington fell to the lottery-bound Hawks.
In a nutshell, the Wizards aren’t playing like a team that’s preparing for the playoffs. It’s the opposite, at least in Brooks’ view, and the performances and concentration levels must increase, or else.
Brooks was upset by what he sees as a lack of effort and intensity and purpose from the second half against the Cavs to four full quarters against the Hawks. Brooks pledged to make changes in the starting lineup and/or rotation ASAP in order to fix what’s broken.
Candace Buckner of the Washington Post was around to hear the coach vent following the latest loss:
The Hawks’ 103-97 win Friday night was tough to take in for the Wizards coach. It was his team’s fourth straight defeat with the playoffs looming, and he did not hold back in his diagnosis of the Wizards’ ills.
“Selfish basketball is no fun to coach, it’s no fun to play with, and it’s no fun to watch,” Brooks said, “and we’re a selfish basketball team right now.”
After the Wizards’ bad losses — and there have been plenty — Brooks has fumed while sharing his postgame thoughts. In the past, he has threatened to tear apart the rotation, called out specific players and ranted about millionaires who refuse to show effort.
On Markieff Morris picking up a pair of technical fouls in the first quarter: “You can’t get frustrated enough to get thrown out of a game, especially when we’re shorthanded. . . . He knows that. He’s been in this league long enough, and we cannot continue to put ourselves in those positions.”
And on the Wizards (42-38) dragging through 48 minutes against a team bent on losing to secure a top lottery pick: “To me, it’s not an embarrassing loss to lose to Atlanta with their guys out. It’s embarrassing that we don’t play with the passion that we need to play at.”
