After one loss back when the Washington Wizards were struggling through a coronavirus-disrupted, injury-depleted and defense-optional stretch of the season that put them 15 games below .500, Russell Westbrook gathered his teammates to speak his mind. According to coach Scott Brooks, Westbrook delivered a "very passionate, very direct talk" that essentially amounted to: We will not miss the postseason. Might have seemed far-fetched at the time. Turns out Westbrook was true to his word. Westbrook nearly produced a triple-double Thursday night, Bradley Beal scored 25 points and the Wizards reached the NBA playoffs as the Eastern Conference's No. 8 seed by overwhelming the Indiana Pacers 142-115 in the play-in round Thursday night. read more https://www.espn.com/nba/recap?gameId=401326993
