Wizards' Scott Brooks Praises Sixers and the Philly Fan Base Following Game 5

At the beginning of the 2020-2021 NBA season, nobody could've guessed the Washington Wizards would clinch a spot in the playoffs. Through the first half of the season, Washington held a record of 14-20.

It wasn't until the second half of the season when they started to turn things around. Although the Wizards still ended the year with a losing record of 34-38, they managed to earn a spot in the NBA's Play-In tournament. From there, they clinched the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, drawing the Philadelphia 76ers as their first-round opponent.

The first three games definitely didn't go the way the Wizards wanted as they got off to an 0-3 start. Despite picking up a win in Game 4, Washington found themselves eliminated from the playoffs following a Game 5 loss at the Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday night. Following the game, Wizards head coach Scott Brooks paid respect to his team's opponent before fielding questions from reporters.

"I just gotta give credit to Doc (Rivers) and his staff and the Philadelphia 76ers," Brooks said. "Their basketball team is talented. They are the number one seed for a reason. Great organization, their fan base is phenomenal -- except for popcorn boy. Other than that, it was a great, great experience for us."

The Sixers were favored over the Wizards for every matchup of the five-game series. As Brooks mentioned, the teams were seeded accordingly for a reason. Regardless, the veteran head coach clearly sees something special in the Sixers, who will advance to the next round to face the Atlanta Hawks.

Meanwhile, the Wizards will zoom out and assess their organization moving forward as they have some critical decisions to make personnel-wise, from the coaching staff to the roster this upcoming offseason.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_ & Instagram: @JGrassoNBA.