The Wizards had already given up their halftime lead, but were back within five points of the red-hot Knicks with under one minute to play.
And then, this happened.
It was leader vs. leader. Face of the franchise vs. face of the franchise. John Wall stole the ball, raced down the court, leaped up for the layout, but was squarely rejected by Amar'e Stoudemire.
Height won out over quickness. Experience won out over youth. Stoudemire won out over Wall, and the playoff-bound Knicks won out over the lottery-bound Wizards.
We can't really fault John Wall for this though. Many didn't even expect him to play last night, and he definitely wasn't supposed to start. But he was in the game, trying his darndest to lead his team. Doing whatever he could to win.
Some have said that he's struggling, both physically and mentally. That may be true at this immediate moment, but he's also just getting started.