How good are Washington Wizards? 'Sky is the limit'

CHICAGO — Joakim Noah likes to keep it simple.

His assessment of the Chicago Bulls' 102-93 Game 1 loss to the Washington Wizards is the quintessential example of that.

"Up 13, we exhaled and they came back," Noah said. "Bad turnovers. They got some easy scores. We got to make our adjustments. This is chess. It isn't checkers."

The Wizards made the first move on the checkerboard and took control of a series that seemed to be written out of their favor.

If Sunday night's script was read beforehand, the roles would have seemed reversed between two gritty, hard-nosed squads. One team squandered a double-digit lead, and the other played with poise and assertiveness in the game's waning minutes.

In one game, Washington shredded its underdog label against a team with major playoff moxie and denounced much of the playoff inexperience talk. Instead of a sweep, the story line has now switched over to this team's postseason ceiling.

Which brings up the obvious question: Just how good are the Wizards?

"The sky is the limit, if we play the right way" said veteran Wizards big man Nene, who finished with 24 points and eight rebounds.

The last part of the equation is crucial. Playing the right way has been a maturation process spearheaded by an assembled cast of veterans around two young stars.

"We just want to come in and play Washington Wizards basketball," said point guard John Wall, the team's lone All-Star. "I think a lot of guys are mature on this team. We're not really getting rattled out there, we're just sticking to our team concepts, not trying to do it 1-on-1. We would have done that earlier in the season."

While Wall and backcourt partner Bradley Beal made their playoff debuts, Nene and fellow veterans Trevor Ariza and Andre Miller gave Washington a lift in the fourth quarter. Ariza had three of the Wizards' four three-pointers to finish with 18 points, while Miller chipped in 10 points, all in the final 14 minutes.

"You have to stay in the moment," Wizards coach Randy Wittman said. "There will be times in the playoffs where we have to survive and stay in the game with six or seven straight possessions and not score. Both teams can do that. Who is going to stay in the fight when you do that? We did. We had a period where they outplayed us, no question about it. We had to get that back, and in the second half, I thought we did."

Clutching a six-point lead with 34 seconds remaining in Game 1, veteran players wouldn't let the Wizards take their foot off the gas.

"Those guys do a great job of telling us to keep calm and keep fighting," Wall said. "They'll say, 'the game is far from over.' "

Center Marcin Gortat, one of those veterans, said the Wizards are rising to the occasion in the playoffs because of their preparation.

"The last two practices were the best we've had all year," said Gortat, who finished with a 15 points, 13 rebounds. "It was physical with everybody engaged. You had coaches and staff diving on the floor, having to wipe up the wet spots. That's what it takes."

As for Game 2 on Tuesday in Chicago? It's the same mindset.

"There's a lot of belief, but still we've been in this situation many times," Gortat said. "We have to stay focused. We've gotta be ready and put ourselves in position to win another game."

"We have a mature group," Ariza said. "Even though we have some young players, they're pretty composed. They understand this is a series and not just one game. So we don't even have to say anything."

Scott Gleeson, a national basketball writer/digital producer for USA TODAY Sports, is on Twitter @ScottMGleeson.