Randy Wittman spent five seasons here in DC coaching the Wizards, but he was a radio guest on Wednesday, as he joined Kevin Sheehan to talk a little Big Ten basketball now that Wittman is a consultant at Indiana, as well as the 2023 NBA Playoffs so far.
However, he also told a great Bradley Beal story that extended his appearance so long, Scott Van Pelt was pushed back and ended up calling in while in the middle of a store run!
Sheehan was waxing poetic about Wittman’s playoff success (which was almost even larger) in 2013-14 and 14-15, and how things might have been had John Wall not gotten hurt…which could’ve been maybe a Finals appearance at least in 2015.
“You always believe that. Even that first year, none of our guys had been in the playoffs yet, and when we played Chicago in the first round, I think my wife still has the cutout where all the writers picked them to beat us, and we won 4-1,” Wittman said. “I always believe you have a chance, especially in a seven-game series where you have a chance to make adjustments.
I thought it we could’ve broken through even the first year, we just couldn’t win against Indiana at home.”
And that’s when we found out just how nervous Beal was for his first-ever playoff game.
“We’re in Chicago getting ready for Game 1, and he’s throwing up that morning at breakfast because he was nervous – and I’m thinking, holy crap!” Wittman laughed. “The second year, we swept Toronto in a series we weren’t supposed to win and then John breaks his hand. If he stayed healthy, I think anything could’ve happened.”
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