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Antonio Daniels talks playoffs

The Cavs lead the Wizards 2-1 in the best-of-7 first round playoff series. Here’s Wizards guard Antonio Daniels:

Antonio Daniels on Game Four: “We have to come out with the same energy from Game Three. That was big. In my three years here that is the loudest I heard this arena by far. It was electric in here. Those fans were amazing. We have to come out with that same energy, that same enthusiasm. We have to use home to our advantage.”

Daniels on the Playoffs: “This is the best time of the year. It’s warm outside, there’s great weather, and then you walk in here and the crowd is going crazy like that. Also, it’s great because every team isn’t here. You don’t have the opportunity to play in the playoffs all the time. So when you have the opportunity to do it you have to take advantage of it. The moment you walk into a playoff game it’s completely different than when you walk into the gym for any of those 82 regular season games.”

Daniels on the Verizon Center crowd: “You really feel the effect of the crowd. When you walk in there and that crowd is going crazy like that, you fell as a team that you can accomplish anything. That’s why home court is so important.”

Daniels on coming off the bench: “There’s such a difference between starting and managing the game, and coming off the bench and changing the game. Coming off the bench and changing the game is something I’ve done for 11 years in my career so it’s something I feel comfortable with.”

Apr. 24: Wizards 108, Cavs 72

The AP reports: DeShawn Stevenson, who started the (LeBron James) “overrated” talk and invited Soulja Boy to the game, had a “can’t-feel-my-face” 19 points. Caron Butler (17 points) and Antawn Jamison (15) also found their games. James didn’t have his. And, yes, those 15 first-half Cleveland turnovers had a lot to do with it, too… James said Washington’s tactics in the first two games were like a “Hack-a-Bron” strategy, but there was nothing like that this time. He finished with 22 points on 10-for-19 shooting from the field and took only four free throws… The one major issue for the Wizards is Gilbert Arenas, who started for the first time since November but injured his surgically repaired left knee in the first half. He walked off the court late in the first half with an obvious limp and a bone bruise. He is listed as day-to-day.

InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: The Wizards had multiple players contribute modest point totals, while the Cavs had LeBron scoring 22, Devin Brown score 10, and no one else even reached double-digits. The Wizards shot 52.1%, the Cavs just 39.7%. The Wizards nailed 8-of-19 three-pointers (Stevenson 5-of-7 threes), the Cavs went just 2-of-16 (both from Devin Brown). The Wizards got to the line more than the Cavs, and shot better when they got there. The Wizards had 13 steals, the Cavs just 4.

Gilbert Arenas back in starting lineup

The AP reports: Gilbert Arenas was listed in the starting lineup Thursday night for the Washington Wizards, who needed a spark after going down 0-2 in their playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The three-time All-Star started for the first time since Nov. 16, his last game before having a second surgery on his left knee. He missed 66 straight games and had been used as a reserve since returning late in the regular season.

Apr. 21: Cavs 116, Wizards 86

The AP reports: LeBron James scored 30 points, Zydrunas Ilgauskas added 16, and the Cavs played their best game since the Feb. 21 megatrade, blowing out the Washington Wizards 116-86 to take a 2-0 lead in an opening-round playoff series oozing with bad blood. The 30-point margin of victory was the largest in Cleveland’s 112-game postseason history, and the Cavaliers’ performance was perhaps their finest 48 minutes since November… The Wizards hardly bothered James, who finished with 12 assists and nine rebounds, barely missing his third career postseason triple-double. James went to the bench with 6:12 left… Wally Szczerbiak added 15 points for the Cavs, who have struggled with injuries and inconsistency since GM Danny Ferry dealt half his roster at the trading deadline… Gilbert Arenas went 2-for-10 from the field and Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison were both 4-of-13 as the Wizards’ Big Three combined for 28 points. The trio spent much of the fourth quarter sitting and thinking about what happened and the task ahead.

Apr. 19: Cavs 93, Wizards 86

The AP reports: Bumped and banged by the Wizards on every drive, LeBron James scored 32 points, making two tough shots in traffic down the stretch as the Cleveland Cavaliers opened the NBA playoffs with an intense 93-86 win over Washington on Saturday… Resting a bothersome back, James sat out the early part of the fourth quarter… Following a miss by Gilbert Arenas, who led the Wizards with 24 points, James powered past Stevenson and dropped a floater with 55 seconds left in the game—and one tick to spare on the 24-second shot clock… Zydrunas Ilgauskas added 22 points and 11 rebounds and Delonte West finished with 16 points for the Cavaliers, who, unlike the Wizards, stayed quiet in the weeks leading up to the series.

Apr. 16: Magic 103, Wizards 83

The AP reports: The Orlando Magic paid more attention to the guy trying to make a half-court shot for $100,000 than their coach during a third-quarter timeout Wednesday night… J.J. Redick scored a career-high 18 points and Marcin Gortat had a career-high 12 points and 11 rebounds, leading the Magic to a 103-83 victory in a meaningless regular-season finale for two playoff-bound teams. Both teams rested their stars… Andray Blatche led Washington with 20 points and 11 rebounds, while Nick Young scored 14. Darius Songaila, Roger Mason and Oleksiy Pecherov each scored 10 points for the Wizards, and Pecherov had a career-high 10 rebounds… Lewis had 15 points in 17 minutes. Redick, a Magic fan favorite who rarely gets off the bench, was 0-for-5 from the field to start, but finished 7-for-14. Turkoglu scored 11 points and Keith Bogans added 10.

Apr. 14: Wizards 117, Pacers 110

The AP reports: Despite the playoff implications of Monday’s game, Washington coach Eddie Jordan went to his bench early and often, getting 31 points from Roger Mason, 14 from rookie Nick Young and little resistance from the Pacers’ defense. Gilbert Arenas was given the night off and Caron Butler sat out with a bruised knee. The Wizards’ reserves outscored their starters 70-47. The disparity was even greater after DeShawn Stevenson left early in the second half with a sore back… “It’s disappointing,” said Mike Dunleavy, who scored 26 points… They weren’t missed. Mason was 7-for-9 on 3-pointers, rookie Dominic McGuire scored a career-high nine points, and Andray Blatche grabbed 11 rebounds as Washington dominated the boards 58-31.

Wizards notes going into Monday Pacers game

The Wizards will host the Indiana Pacers tomorrow night at Verizon Center in Washington’s 2007-08 regular season home finale on Comcast SportsNet and WTEM 980 at 7:00 pm.

* This game marks the fourth and final meeting between the Wizards and Pacers this season. Having lost two of the first three meetings, Washington needs a win to earn a split in the season series. After sweeping the Pacers (3-0) last season, and having split four games in 2004-05 (2-2) and 2005-06 (2-2), Washington hasn’t lost a season-series to Indiana since 2003-04 (1-2).

* Headed to the NBA Playoffs for the fourth consecutive season, Washington joins the Detroit Pistons as the only Eastern Conference clubs to qualify for postseason play in every season since 2004-05. With two regular season games remaining, the Wizards (42-38) currently trail Cleveland (43-36) by 1.5 games for the fourth seed in the East. Washington leads Toronto (40-39) by 1.5 games for the fifth seed.

* On Saturday night versus Philadelphia, DeShawn Stevenson hit five of Washington’s 12 three-pointers, and the Wizards increased their season total to 558 three pointers made. After connecting on a franchise record 561 three-point field goals last season, the Wizards are just four three-pointers away from establishing a new franchise record for threes made in a single season. Stevenson, meanwhile, has made 68 of his career-high 155 three-pointers in the 27 games since the All-Star break, and ranks 9th in the NBA in three-pointers made over that stretch.

* In Washington’s last game…Washington defeated the Philadelphia 76ers, 109-93, at Verizon Center on April 12…Antawn Jamison led Washington with a game-high 25 points and 13 rebounds…Gilbert Arenas tallied 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists in 25:06…DeShawn Stevenson scored 19 points, including five three-point field goals, and recorded a team-high seven assists…Antonio Daniels (12 points) and Darius Songaila (10) also scored in double figures…Caron Butler (bruised right knee) missed his 22nd game of the season, but Washington improved to 9-13 in his absence…The Wizards outscored the 76ers 31-9 in the fourth quarter…Philadelphia’s nine fourth quarter points tied for the fewest amount of points a Wizards’ opponent has scored in any quarter this season.

* This season vs. Indiana…The Wizards were defeated by the Pacers, 95-83, at Indiana on Dec. 22…Antawn Jamison scored a game-high 29 points and grabbed 12 rebounds…Roger Mason Jr. finished with a then career-high 20 points and five rebounds…Darius Songaila started his first game this season and grabbed a season-high 10 rebounds in a season-high 35:17…Brendan Haywood finished with 13 rebounds and a season-high tying five blocks.

Apr. 12: Wizards 109, Sixers 93

The AP reports: Gilbert Arenas finally looked like Agent Zero again, just in time for the Washington Wizards to put the Philadelphia 76ers out of reach. After a week-and-a-half of passive basketball since returning from a knee injury, Arenas took over the game by scoring 12 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter Saturday night in a 109-93 victory over the 76ers… Arenas was a sub again Saturday, playing 25 minutes, but he was 7-for-14 with seven rebounds and five assists… Antawn Jamison added 25 points and 13 rebounds for the Wizards, who have won four of five. Washington recovered well from a 102-74 loss at Detroit on Friday night. Andre Iguodala had 22 points, seven assists and six rebounds to lead Philadelphia. His 3-pointer with 8:29 to play was the only field goal of the final quarter for the 76ers, who have lost three of four to dampen a strong surge over the second half of the season.

Apr. 11: Pistons 102, Wizards 74

The AP reports: With Cleveland and Philadelphia having already lost and facing a Detroit team that is coasting toward the playoffs, the Wizards came out with one of their worst performances of the season, shooting just 27 percent in a lopsided 102-74 loss to the Pistons on Friday night… Detroit, which has clinched the Eastern Conference’s second seed, had played poorly in back-to-back losses to New York and Philadelphia, but Jason Maxiell’s career-high 28 points helped them regain their focus… Antwan Jamison led Washington with 15 and DeShawn Stevenson added 11.