The Washington Post (Ivan Carter) reports on the Wizards: It’s a team that left its fans bouncing between optimism and pessimism. The Wizards (43-39 in the regular season) lost 10 games by 20 points or more but beat the Boston Celtics three times and finished 7-1 on the road in a Southeast Division that produced three playoff teams. Along with the Detroit Pistons, the Wizards are the only Eastern Conference team to make the playoffs four straight seasons. Then again, they’ve been knocked out of the first round three straight years by the same team and its dominating, just-entering-his-prime superstar. “We believed in each other all year,” said veteran guard Antonio Daniels, who played the final two months with a wrist injury that will require surgery this summer. “No matter what the circumstances were throughout the season, we laid it on the line. Guys played extremely hard, with a lot of heart, and a lot of confidence. I’m very proud of this team and the coaching staff.” HIGH POINT: Consecutive wins over the league-leading Celtics in January. Wizards fans won’t forget the sight of all-star Antawn Jamison celebrating a stunning comeback win in Boston on Jan. 14 by bounding to midcourt while doing a little wiggle dance. LOW POINT: Watching LeBron James and the Cavaliers celebrate yet another series-clinching victory Friday night, something that is becoming a Washington tradition right up there with the cherry blossoms.
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May 2: Cavs 105, Wizards 88
The AP reports: LeBron James had the last word. In an NBA playoff series filled with trash talk, hard fouls, 13 technicals, one ejection, one suspension and plenty more, James was everywhere and did a little bit of everything in Game 6. And, in what’s become his personal rite of spring, he led the Cleveland Cavaliers past the Washington Wizards. James compiled 27 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists for his third career playoff triple-double, all the while helping slow Caron Butler at the defensive end, and the Cavaliers beat the Wizards 105-88 on Friday night to close the contentious series… It’s the third consecutive postseason that the Cavaliers eliminated the Wizards in the first round—ending each of those series on Washington’s home floor… He was more of a passer than a scorer early, with twice as many assists (four) as shot attempts (two) in the first quarter. That allowed his teammates to get in a rhythm, and Wally Szczerbiak scored a career playoff-best 26 points, Daniel Gibson added 22, and they combined to make 10 of Cleveland’s 11 3-pointers… Antawn Jamison led Washington with 23 points and 15 rebounds. The Cavaliers were ahead 56-48 at halftime, thanks in large part to a 15-0 run during the second quarter and 7-for-12 shooting on 3-pointers. The Wizards? They were 3-for-12 on 3s to that point.
Eddie Jordan talks playoffs
Here’s Wizards coach Eddie Jordan, talking about his team’s first round playoff series against the Cavaliers, who lead the series 3 games to 2.
Eddie Jordan on playing without Gilbert Arenas in Game Five:
“Our guys responded well. I felt that we got better as the game went along. We took care of the ball in the second half. We withstood their run and we withstood their crowd. It was a great effort and we got it done.”
On sustaining momentum:
“We have to keep the momentum. It’s how you play and how you execute. It’s how you rebound. You can’t allow them to have highlight plays. Now we have to stay poised. We want to keep attacking and playing defense well and keep our offense going.”
On winning a close game:
“It was great. Finally, we got one. It’s what we had talked about. They hadn’t missed (in that type of situation). Whether it was someone in the corner, or somebody at the top, or LeBron (James)…over the years, we hadn’t experienced a miss. Hopefully, we can play better defense so he doesn’t get to that point again.”
On the game plan without Gilbert Arenas:
“It’s a different flow for us. We had the highest scoring trio in the league when Gilbert was playing and healthy. We were the best team in the Eastern Conference (last season with Arenas). Now there will be a lot more post-ups. We try to get more pick-and-rolls for our big guys and for Antonio Daniels to get to the basket. We depend on our jump shot last. We try to get Caron (Butler) his opportunities in his sweet spots at the top of the key and off the pick-and-rolls. He wouldn’t have those volumes of opportunities if Gilbert was here because Gilbert has those great drives and great threes.”
More on the team:
“We are trusting the defense and trusting the offense, as opposed to doing too much. We said from the beginning that we have to channel all this emotion, anticipation, excitement and bravado. We said from the beginning of the series that we need to channel that into being organized and it’s finally happening for us.”
Apr. 30: Wizards 88, Cavs 87
The AP reports: Caron Butler made a layup with 3.9 seconds left and the Wizards held their breath as LeBron James missed a potential series and season-ending layup at the horn, giving Washington an 88-87 victory Wednesday night and adding at least one more game to this overheated NBA playoff series… Butler scored 32 points and DeShawn Stevenson had 17 for the Wizards, who played without guard Gilbert Arenas and got only eight points from the normally reliable Antawn Jamison. Arenas announced before the game that his season was over because of a bothersome knee. His absence figured to be the decisive blow for the Wizards, but they fought to the finish and, at least for now, prevented the Cavs from ending their season… James scored 34 points—24 in the second half—but was unable to make the final shot in traffic that would have sent the Wizards, who began talking trash weeks ago and haven’t stopped, quietly into the summer… James added 10 rebounds and seven assists, becoming the first player to score at least 34 points with 10 rebounds and seven assists in two straight playoff games since Larry Bird in 1984.
InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: The Wizards only shot 40.8%, but the Cavs hit just 36.0% Three-pointers and free throws were fairly close. Rebounding was almost even, but the Cavs dished more assists. Turnovers and steals were also close. For the Wizards, Caron Butler (11-of-22, 4-of-8 threes) had 32 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. DeShawn Stevenson (5-of-14) had 17 points and 5 rebounds. Antonio Daniels scored 12. No other Wizards scored in double-digits. Antawn Jamison had 8 points with 11 rebounds and 2 blocks. For the Cavs, LeBron hit just 8-of-21 but had 15-of-18 free throws for 34 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists (but 5 turnovers) and 2 blocks. Zydrunas Ilgauskas (8-of-11) had 19 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks. Delonte West scored 12.
Songaila pops LeBron in the face
Late in the first quarter of Wednesday evening’s Wizards at Cavaliers Game 5 playoff game (Cavs lead series 3-1), LeBron James drove down the left baseline at the rim, guarded by Darius Songaila. Their arms got tangled, and LeBron went up to try to score, was aggressively holding Songaila off with his arm in what appeared to be totally legal fashion but his other arm and Songaila’s arm were entangled the whole time, and as LeBron landed and they untangled, Songaila, using his left hand side-arm back-handed Lebron in the face. It clearly seemed intentional.
It wasn’t a full-on punch, but it was like a clear back-hand to the face. He didn’t follow through, so I can’t call it a full back-handed pimp-slap. More like taking your hand and swinging the back of it right into someone’s face, and then pulling your hand back in the same direction it came from.
LeBron just took the jab and stayed backed away, not retaliating.
I thought Songaila should have been ejected, yet the refs just called a personal foul and a technical foul on him, which was surprising.
And during the discussions after the incident, DeShawn Stevenson and Anderson Varejao had a very minor disagreement, and the refs quickly slapped a double-tech on them. I hate that call. Neither player needed a tech called on them.
Apr. 27: Cavs 100, Wizards 97
The AP reports: At game’s end, LeBron James was just as collected, drawing waves of Washington Wizards defenders before dishing to Delonte West for a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 5.4 seconds left. That shot, along with James’ 34 points and 12 rebounds, led the Cavaliers to a 100-97 victory on Sunday and a 3-1 lead in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference playoff series… James got help Sunday from more than just West, whose career playoff-high 21 points included five 3-pointers. Daniel Gibson made four 3s, and Ben Wallace had 12 rebounds—part of a remarkable 51-31 edge on the boards for Cleveland. One small sequence that epitomized things: At the end of the third quarter, Joe Smith’s three-point play followed two offensive rebounds and gave the Cavaliers an 80-73 edge. Wizards coach Eddie Jordan was succinct: “We didn’t rebound.” Antawn Jamison led Washington with 23 points and 11 rebounds, while Caron Butler added 19 points. But it was Stevenson who was at the center of the key play. LeBron vs. DeShawn had been mainly an off-court rivalry, prompted in part by Stevenson calling James overrated, and extending to involve rap megastar Jay-Z and one-hit wonder Soulja Boy. James’ pal Jay-Z created a song dissing Stevenson that was played at a D.C. club this weekend.
InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: The Wizards shot a bit better than the Cavs from the field, but the Cavs nailed 13-of-28 (5 from Delonte West, 4 from Daniel Gibson and 3 from LeBron James) while the Wizards hit a respectable 7-of-19. But the Cavs dominated rebounding, 51-31 and dished 23 assists, the Wizards 18. For the Cavs, James had 34 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists. Delonte West (7-of-12, 5-of-8 threes) had 21 points. Gibson had 12. Ben Wallace had 0 points and 12 rebounds. For the Wizards, Antawn Jamison had 23 points, 11 rebounds and 3 steals. Caron Butler had 19 points and 4 assists. Brendan Haywood had 16 points and 6 rebounds. DeShawn Stevenson had 13 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Gilbert Arenas wasn’t good, shooting 3-of-8 for 10 points, two steals, but more turnovers than assists.
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.