Box Score
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Pretty much everything else here.

Highest Plus/Minus: Brendan Haywood (+4)
Lowest Plus/Minus: Antawn Jamison (-30)

Before I get into to my "rantcap" (it's a rant, it's a recap, it's a rantcap) we need to establish one thing: Basketball is a finesse sport.  Yes, it requires toughness and yes, it requires some physicality, but that doesn't invalidate the fact that it's still a finesse sport.  There's nothing wrong with physicality and athleticism, in basketball, but if you don't put it together with skill and knowledge of the game you're dead in the water.

Last night, Washington decided to value physicality over skill, and in the process managed to lose the ability to do either effectively.  If you're looking for the exact point in the game where it happened, let me point you back to this moment in the live blog:

 

Gil is now in...and is covering LeBron when the Cavs next get the ball. LBJ easily comes off the screen towards the basket. One. Two. Three. Yep, three steps. Travel right? Nope.. foul on Wizards. 15-11 Wizards.

You could see it on their faces (well at least I think I could see it, the signal was kind of fuzzy out at my place for most of the first half) after the foul was called that something changed.  Up to that point, they were doing things well; Jamison was hot, the defense was solid, and the Wizards were playing like they were capable of playing, but after LeBron got that first foul they just decided to abandon everything that had built up that early lead.  Now I understand the frustration, but 28 other teams had to face the Cavs this year and Cleveland sure didn't go undefeated against all of them.  It's not like the Wizards are the only team in the NBA that has to deal with unfavorable calls with the King, yet they seem to be the only team that sulks about it and tries to completely change their game rather than elevating it to another level.

After that foul, the Wizards managed to go 2-9 from the field (both makes from Blatche, oddly enough), commit a tech, allow LeBron to get a momentum changing dunk, and let Wally Szczerbiak get open for a three in the 3 minutes right after the foul.  It didn't take long, but over that short stretch the Cavs gained something that the Wizards are still looking for.

Confidence.

Teams that are confident that they can win don't abandon their offense and defense so that they can try and out tough the other team.  Teams that are confident don't resort to setting cheap picks (besides Southern Miss of course).  Teams that are confident don't resort to taunting when they're down by sixteen points.  Teams that are confident don't foul players while they're in mid-air.  For the record, I think Haywood's move was more dumb and clueless than it was malicious.  If he was actually trying to hurt LeBron he would've had that cocky smile on his face or something, but when he got ejected he had that "Oh crap, they're running a pick and roll.  What do I do?' face going which tells me the foul was more of a panic move than anything.  Of course, I'm hopelessly biased.

So far in this series, the Wizards have played the role of the bully: Lots of talk, lots of physicality for the sake of physicality, and ultimately a whole lot of nothing when they're paired up against someone their own size.  The worst part of it all is that they don't even have to resort to this stuff.  Like cuppetcj said, the Wizards don't need to reinvent themselves to beat the Cavs, they just need to rely on the skill that got them here.

Quarter One

Wizards finally win a tip...after not winning one of five in game one. The refs are choking on their whistles already as DeShawn was hammered by LeBron in making the opening bucket.

A little bit of a lid on the basket early for Butler after making a nice aggressive move...and for Jamison too on the rebound.

LeBron's first shot isn't much....Butler tries a mid-range and misses too. I'd like to see him drive drive drive on Wally.

LeBron to the hoop, good foul on Haywood. 1 FT.

Delonte pull up..nope we'll take it.

Stevenson with LBJ on him decided to wisely give the rock to BTH for the baby runner. 6-1 Wizards.

They run AJ at LBJ to help Caron....but Benny Wallace is too close to the basket not to convert. 6-3 Wizards.

Butler drives this time...good hard foul by Wallace. Caron goes down. No expression. Not shaking his head. He just gets up and knocks down FTs. 8-3 Wizards.

LBJ gets a skip pass and drives....Caron has a hard time recovering....and ....Wallace is open for points again. 8-5 Wizards.

By my count, the Wiz have played man on every possession so far.

Jamison gets switched on Z and that's an easy call for LBJ to make the pass to him for the bucket. 10-7 Wizards.

AJ buries his first three....Ben Wallace can't play that far out. 13-7 Wizards.

A foul called on Haywood was questionable...didn't see the below the waist action, but Big Z actually looked like he went over the back.

DeShawn is matched up against Wally World. I guess since you gotta make the other Cavs beat you....then you should put your best defender on them...huh?

Butler had the ball on the baseline..I'd like to see him back down Wally and make someone double, but a cutting AJ made himself available for the nice pass.from Caron.

15-9 Wizards at first timeout. 1-2 on threes. Two wing misses just inside 3 from the right side (Caron and AJ) and everything else has been in the paint. LeBron has only attempted one shot. Trying to do the whole 'teammates involved' thing.

TNT is doing a story about how there's a lot of talk in the DC media...and among the fans....that we all want Gil to start...I haven't heard such a thing.

Gil is now in...and is covering LeBron when the Cavs next get the ball. LBJ easily comes off the screen towards the basket. One. Two. Three. Yep, three steps. Travel right? Nope.. foul on Wizards. 15-11 Wizards.

Arenas misses his first shot...and it did not look good. He had no follow through with his wrist.

Wally World, the Cro-magnon is trying to get physical with Gil. Gil gives a little shove, a good foul call. Unfortunately, Gil gives an extra push after the whistle and they call a tech.

Blatche fouls Z by coming across his arm. Meanwhile...didn't see how it happened, but Philly has a goal with 11:20 left in 1st.

Jamison drive on Andy and scoop is no good, but Blatche knows what to do with cleanup. 17-13 Wizards.

Blatche is running the court, gets the ball from Butler...and a bullshit move by Andy Varejao. He wasn't going for the ball at all and just swiped his arm right across Blatche's face. A little payback...no worries.

But Andray misses both FTs - you just can't afford to do that. A flagrant 1 was called so the Wiz have the ball.

Gil back-cuts LBJ but takes it with weak right wrist on left side...easy block by Joe Smith. LeBron goes down and throws down an amazing dunk.

Blatche can't finish a lob from Daniels....that's about 5 absolute gimmes that the Wizards have missed (not counting Smith's block on Gil).

Wally tries to get rough with Arenas again....this time Gil gets the charge call....but it wasn't a flop. Scissor-Back had arm action that led to the whistle. Timeout. 19-18 Wizards.

Getting to the FT line as much as the Cavs is one thing, but you can't afford misses. Andray missed both earlier and AJ just missed two. Wiz are 2-6, 5-9 Cavs from the FT line.

Very stupid foul on Gil...LBJ had the ball in the open court, Arenas was way behind and tries to reach around to get the ball. What was he thinking? There was no chance that he would have been able to get to the ball. It's like trying to reach around to unplug the refrigerator standing straight up in front of it. LeBron bucket and FT - 22-19 Cavs.

Arenas has evidently taken the wrap off his wrist.....but goes out....with two fouls just like Haywood.

AJ, D- Song, D-Mac, Mason and Stevenson in the game. This lineup scares me.

LeBron is getting ridiculous. Mason is dribbling, LeBron comes to double...takes a wild swat at Mason..and they run into each other....LeBron bounces back like he just ran into a vertical trampoline and comes up checking his mouth, looking at the jumbo-screen. Cavs fans go nuts. The foul is called on LBJ....Mason goes 1-2 from the line.

20-7 run to end the first for the Cavs. LeBron is smart...he does realize that the Wizards are almost over-focused on him. He found teammates to the tune of 4 assists in the first. After FT misses (5 of them in 10 attempts), the Wizards cannot afford to lose other Cavalier players around the basket. 27-22 Cavs after 1.

Quarter Two

Haywood and Z are both back in the game, LBJ goes to the pine.

Caron sighting? 0-3 in the first ...two misses came within the first 100 seconds, the third came with 3 minutes left in the 1st.

Mason Junior hits.....wasn't a net ripper, rather a rattler, but any type of make can get confidence going. 27-24 Cavs.

Is it just me, or are they not calling Ilgauskas for over the back?

Reggie Miller commends BTH's hands who gets the dunk and 1 on Big Z... Brendan better be careful with hanging on the rim.

D-Song hits a midrange off a pick and pop...great ball movement. 29-27 Wizards.

No such thing as an over-the-back call tonight. Joe Smith goes over Songaila for the o-board and D-Song is forced to foul, not allowing Smith to get a shot off.

Roger Mason looks nervous at the line. He got fouled hard by Devin Brown on a transition layup. Yup, he misses first, makes 2nd. 30-27 Wiz. 8-0 run.

LeBron comes back and it's a little more zone D look from Washington...and that's why Big Z easily got an o-board and put-back off the LBJ missed J. 30-29 Wiz.

It seems like the Wizards have been a little rushed on offense. I hope they settle down a little bit coming out of this timeout. Take a breath. Depend on your muscle memory when shooting FTs and jumpers....you'll be alright.

Daniels gets rejected by Bron coming from the other side of the hope. I would have liked to see him drop it to a wide open D-song.

AJ takes a confident shot over the Brazilian Spazz. 32-31 Wiz.

Caron gets a tough lay-up....I'm begging him to do more of that. 34 Tie.

AJ...I like, he had a small opening for a 3 look, but drove it after he got Andy coming at him off balance....layup. 36 Tie.

Boobie fakes DeShawn out of his jock on the 3 point line...who almost jumps over him. DeShawn passes...he side steps and nails a 3. That's DeShawn...going for the glory of the block. TNT plays Soulja Boy heading into the timeout. 41-36 Cavs.

Gilbert has changed his shoes. Black and Wizards blue accents...not sure what he was wearing at first.

Still in the zoneish D. Wally Z hits a fading J over Daniels, he's got 8. 43-36 Cavs.

Daniels 3 miss....Wiz keep it alive...Butler grabs a semi loose ball....the Wizards turnover the ball. They still look nervous in the service.

LeBron mises a J....has he hit an outside shot yet?

Gil hits a 2 in transition....making a fist with that hand/wrist coming down the court. He doesn't look comfortable. 43-38 Cavs.

The Wizards are noting but sporadic....the ball is bobbled all over (after a Caron steal) Gil ends up shooting an airball trey against LBeron. Wiz get the board, but its a shot clock violation. Another timeout....it's time to coach Eddie, please get your team to get their composure. Is this where I pull out the "they haven't played enough together" card?

Crap...Philly is up 2 nil with 18 minutes left in the 2nd...while Jamison is fouling Daniel Gibson 3-point attempts. 3 FTs - 46-38 Cavs.

Looks like the Wiz are trying to run the Princeton, but it's slow and mechanical, the opposite of smooth. Jamison misses a hook shot.

Sequence Time! Down the court...Z blatantly travels. No call of course. Wizards turnover. James inside bucket....Wiz falling apart. Caron outside attempt. Nope. Wally World running baseline layup. Caron tries to dribble in a crowd. The Cavs bail him out with a foul. 52-38 Cleveland.

Arenas tries to go one on one against Delonte West....no good layup.

Things get rough...Caron gets the board. Goes to the rim haphazardly..and gets fouled. The Wizards are trying to be too physical.

Nick Young checks in....and that's an open invitation for LBJ to get to the basket and get fouled. He makes 1, 53-40 Cavs.

The Wiz have the ball with 8 seconds left....Gil dribbles around upon getting doubled...senseless wasting clock time.. the half ends with a bad 3 point look from Caron Butler.

The worst part...LeBron is 3-7 from the field, all his makes came off layups and all the misses came from outside. He's 6-9 from the FT line - 12 points and not exactly a good offensive effort from him.

Cleveland up 13, 53-40.

In not so many words, the TNT halftime crew is saying that Gil's ball dominance is a hindrance to the Wizards offense. And as they show the replays, and Kenny's pictures, I tend to agree. Gil is definitely not playing the part of the distributor (1-7 with 0 assists) and more the part of..."I'm Gilbert Arenas and I'm so awesome I can shoot threes and take LeBron in the post." I'm not even sure if I want him doing that without the bum wrist and ankle.

Stats:

1. Rebounds are tied at 21 with the Wiz pulling down 9 offensive to 5 for the Cavs.
2. We know LeBron's story, Big Z follows with 12, then Wally with 10. Those two are a combined 9-14.
   
3. Jamison is 4-11 with 9 points and 7 boards.
4. Caron is still 1-8 and MIA. My piece about him on BF before game 1 was initially going to be concern about his offensive rhythm with Gil back in the lineup...but then I didn't want to go negative.....but now, it's come back to my mind as a very large concern.
5. Seems like the Wizards are trying to attack the basket, just not in an effective way. They are 15-41 on FGs, 1-6 from deep.
   
6. Aside from the 3s and judging by the shot chart, 13 of the Wizards other attempts have come outside of the paint area, and they've made 5 of those. So, the Wiz are roughly, 9-22 inside the paint.
   

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Two different players. One says he wants to face a team, the other says that he doesn't want to face a team. They both get criticized. Who is right? Barkley for getting on Arenas because he wants to see Cleveland? Or Stephen A. Smith for getting on Nowitzki for not wanting to see the Los Angeles Lakers? It seems obvious that (gulp) the latter talking-head is right and that you'd rather have the former player on your team.

Uh oh....look who's picking the Wizards....yes indeed, our good friend John Hollinger. Considering his record with this team, I'm not so sure this is a good thing. Oh yea, for the series, Stephen A. is taking the Wiz and Jalen Rose is taking LBJ and the Cavs. Rick Carlisle is also reporting that Gil's minutes are going to increase to 30-35 per and that Arenas has had no swelling in his knee for the past two months.

Odd Fact: The last time the Caps and Wizards were both in the playoffs (1988), Kansas won the National Championship. And we all know what the JayHawks did this year. What happened in 88? The Bullets lost to the Pistons in five; Detroit eventually lost to the Lakers in the NBA Finals. Now get this about the Caps, after being down 3-1 to Philly in the first round, went on to win the next three (2 in Philly) to take the series. Unfortunately, the Capitals went down to the underdog New Jersey Devils in 7 games in the next round.

There goes the ringside bell, let's start the show.....

Quarter One

Wally Shizzleback will get the starting nod in the place of Sasha for the Cavs. Go at him Tuff Juice (if he's guarding you).

Before the game even tips, it looks like DeShawn Stevenson has already sweated through his jersey.....uh oh, the Wizards are wearing those gold unis that everyone hates....except me.

11:49: Not sure why Haywood gets caught looking at Wallace guarded by Jamison in the paint...he leaves Ilgauskas wide open for outside points. 2-0 Cavs.

11:30: Butler takes the first shot, a 3....seems a little early to do that.

11:19: Cavs give some backcourt pressure after LeBron's 2 FTs give Cleveland a 4-0 lead.

11:08: Jamison's first shot is an airball....thats okay, just some jitters. LeBron misses his first 3 attempt on the other end.

10:38: AD gets LeBron switched on him. Not sure why he feels the need to take it....bad fadeaway miss.

10:12: Stevenson plays lock down D on James....and he's forced to take bad fadeaway himself.

9:51: Finally...Haywood gets on the board......after AJ tried to take Wallace, he lost the ball and BTH recovered for his version of an outside shot. The baseline jumper is not doing for Haywood on the next offensive possession. 4-2 Cavs.

8:45: Big Z gets another outside jumper in the same place...looks like a bad switch left too much space. 6-2 Cavs.

8:10: Wally World gets on board with a trey.....don't want confidence to build for that guy. 9-2 Cavs.

7:46: Haywood follows up Caron's scoop miss drive with a tip. BTH is the biggest key of the game so far for Washington. 9-4 Cleveland.

7:25: Haywood gets more points with a running baby right hand hook. 11-6 Cavs.

7:00: More tough D by DeShawn as LBJ misses a fader from the FT line.

6:24: Haywood yelling dunk...nice roll and assist from Stevenson. When the Cavs start collapsing, the Wiz better be ready to hit outside shots. Gilbert? 13-8 Cavs.

5:52: AD is left wide open for a moment on the baseline...two Cavs run at him, but leave AJ open in the short corner to receive the rock for a layup. 13-10 Cavs.

5:17: AJ misses his 2nd three. Cleveland takes a timeout on the other end.....probably to make some inside adjustments on D. Haywood has the length over Benny Wallace and the toughness over Ilgauskas. As the discussion goes on the BF game thread, the outside misses are not ideal, but I'm not worried one bit so far. LBJ has been kept in check by the Lock Smith....who is doing an excellent job of moving his feet.

4:55: There go those offensive rebounds. Big Ben cleans up and Big Z gets the hoop. AJ misses another 3 on the other end. C'mon Vet. Gilbert gets set to check in.

4:03: Inside again to Haywood.....he gets great position, a perfectly timed pass and keeps his composure to power the ball in the hoop. 15-12 Cavs.

Andray Blatche checks in with Gil....seems like Arenas is getting booed more than Stevenson. AD and Haywood check out. LeBron doesn't look comfortable walking around as Big Z takes a seat.

3:11: Gilbert misses his first attempt...wasn't close at all.

2:48: Timeout #2. Matt from Hardwood Paroxysm sends me a Google IM.....big ups to the man-help D from the Wizards.

Looks like the Wiz have switched to a pseudo-zone coming out the timeout. They get a miss form the corner and AJ draws a foul on the rebound. Is that Jamison's 8th board in the first quarter? Yes it is.

2:20: Arenas....BUCKETS on Boobie, trey ball. 17-15 Cavs.

1:54: The Wizards are sending a couple at LeBron to get the ball out of his hands on this possession. Devin Brown travels.

1:40: Butler takes advantage of Devin Brown and gets a foul on a 3 attempt - makes 2-3, his first points after missing his first two shots. 17-17 tie game.

Mason Jr. checks in for Stevenson. Great sub.

1:25: LeBron misses...I think Blatche bothered him. James stays down on the floor...."OMG!" say Cleveland fans...What part of LeBron is hurt? Meanwhile...the Wizards easily score in transition. What's wrong with baby LeBron? He's holding his mouth. You stayed on the ground for that? You gotta be kidding me. On the replay, Blatche did get LBJ pretty hard. They should have called a foul. 19-17 Wizards.

0:53: Jamison, after getting his 9th board, gets the outside game going with a baseline deuce. 21-17 Wizards.

0:36: LeBron goes to the basket and Andray makes sure to foul him hard again. If Blatche is picking up his fouls per usual, it's good to at least seem him get his money's worth. 1 made FT, good foul. 21-18 Wizards.

0:28: Mase-OFF on his first attempt.

0:11: LeBron drives again....Butler and Arenas kinda run into each other...and Arenas grabs LBJ's arm, not allowing him to get a dunk, much less a shot off. 1 make, 21-19 Wizards.

I was hoping that LBJ would go out after Stevenson went to the bench...nope, that's when he started getting more aggressive in going to the basket...with Caron Butler guarding.

0:01: Giiiil-bert ARENAS for three! Only 10 or 11 feet behind the 3 point line....I belt out an "Oh My God!" The Cavs get the ball but it's not enough time to do anything. And that is the first quarter of the first playoff game of 2008. 24-19 Wizards.

Stat Check:

1. Jamison has 6 points, 10 boards.
2. Haywood has 10 points in just over 8 minutes.
3. LeBron, 0 FGs, 4 points.

Quarter Two

11:16: Blatche goes up and snatches a defensive rebound with intensity.

11:10: Another 3 by Gilbert....everyone (media talking-heads) was talking about LeBron's "face" before the game. But did you see Gilbert's game face after that shot? People don't realize that Gil is all fun and games until he steps on the floor and takes off that warm-up. 27-19 Wizards.

10:36: Get 'em Gil! A trey ball after a pump fake dead in Delonte's face. My yelling has increased...someone will start knocking on my door soon. 30-19 Wizards.

10:19: Cleveland timeout -- "Welcome back boy boy!" Jamison is mic'ed up .

10:08: Big Z ends an almost 7 minute FG drought for the Cavs. 30-21 Wizards.

9:40: The Butler comes calling with a jumper...uh oh. The entire Wizards team is starting to pick it up. 32-21 Wiz.

LeBron checks back in....Cavs fans barely make noise. Shocked, huh?

9:20: Cleveland goes to trying to work Big Z against Andray Blatche. Would it be a good time to get Haywood back in the game? I think so....and Eddie Jordan does so after Zydrunas' first FT make. Stevenson joins. Get subbing by Eddie J folks. Mason, D-Song and Gilbert are still in the game. Have we seen this combo this year? 32-23 Wizards.

9:05: Mason misses his 2nd jumper....he shot it with confidence though. He'll get them to fall.

8:40: Big Z misses an inside shot on BTH...an offensive rebound for Varejao on D-Song nets Boobie a trey ball. 32-26 Wizards.

7:54: Gilbert again....I think I'll shoot a deuce this time. 34-26 Wiz.

7:41: LBJ gets his first FG on a cut and reverse layup. 34-28 Wizards.

7:22: Gilbert doesn't get a call, he should have, but draws a charge on Andy V. down the court. Jamison checks back in for Roger.

6:32: Haywood fails to put a solid body on Big Z twice as he gets two offensive boards. A Wally Szczerbiak long deuce is the end result. 36-30 Wizards.

6:00: Wally charges hard to the hoop on the baseline, draws a BS call on Haywood, his 2nd. The Cleveland crowd wakes up. 36-32 Wizards.

5:50: AD checks in for Gil and Songaila gets an offensive foul called. He had his arm up too high on the Big Haired Flopper. It's a game of runs...this we know.

Another timeout. Meanwhile...the Capitals have dropped the puck. 0-0 with 16 left in the first. The ESPN combo.....not so good. Rick Carlisle is not bad but he is no Hubie Brown.. So now, I'm going to switch the volume over to the local Comcast feed with Steve Buckhantz and Phil Chenier.

Phil Chenier, the voice of reason. Wizards are upset at a couple non-calls, but "that's gonna happen and you gotta forget about them."

5:39: DeShawn's D on Boobie is not so tough as he let's Gibson get a driving layup. 36-34 Wizards.

5:04: For a change, a Wiz offensive board off a Stevenson miss leads to Jamison points. I think only the 2nd o board of the game for DC. 38-34 Wizards.

4:29: Another Stevenson miss....another Haywood offensive rebound. Points. LBJ gets his 2nd FG of the game on the other end... not on individual creation, rather off a cut in the Cleveland offense. 40-36 Wizards.

3:48: OH my lord....James gets a monster 1-hand alley-oop, off a Wiz turnover (AD lost it, Wally picked it up), that ignites the crowd. LBJ blocks Stevenson's shit on the other end.

3:27: Ben Wallace clobbers Jamison on an offensive board attempt. Benny threw his left arm right into AJ's face...yup, that's a foul.

2:35: Haywood blocks an offensively spastic Andy Varejao. Daniels goes right at LeBron for transition points. How many guards would do that? Not many. I'm glad we have us an Antonio Daniels. Stevenson picks up his 1st foul on the other end and we head to another timeout. 42-38 Wizards.

CAPS GOAL! They had a 5-3 advantage. 1-0 Caps, just over 12 left in the first period. I think ESPN has shown that LeBron alley-oop about nine times now.

2:12: LeBron gets an outside J as Stevenson goes the wrong way around a Big Z screen. 42-40 Wizards.

Chris Miller on the timeout: Eddie Jordan reminds the Wiz not to settle for jump shots.

0:55: Just like that...Caron takes it to the basket and makes the smooth and easy pass to Jamison for the layup. 44-40 Wizards.

0:11: Butler drives again...sets up Stevenson for an open 3. No good, but Jamison bodies Wallace out the way for the board and put back. 46-42 Wizards.

0:01: Uh oh....things get testy. An offensive fouled is called on Haywood for setting a screen on LeBron James. Haywood reels back a little as LeBron goes to the floor....he obviously did not want to foul. Before Brendan can fully catch his balance and get out of the way (and away from standing over LeBron), James loses patience and tries to get up in a funny way though Haywood's 5-hole. 

It's hard to tell who exactly starts it....Haywood took exception to LeBron knocking him as he could have fallen too....the two exchange mini-scuffle pushes. Tempers flare, Ben Wallace and Big Z bum rush the show. Mike Brown scatters over to the fray. Jamison sprints over. Double techs are assessed to Haywood and LeBron....it looks like the refs give Jamison a tech as well.

That's exactly why Amare got suspended last year. ...that's exactly why the rule is in place. Intelligently, no one leaves the bench.

It looks like they gave AJ a tech because he sprinted over when everyone else was just kinda there. Z and Benny Wallace were there first.....just before Mike Brown. Jamison should not have been given a technical....he's a vet and his intention was only to play peacemaker.

0:00: After the buzzer sounds with a LeBron miss, it looks like Haywood tries to go over, or call LeBron over to apologize/make amends. But the Wiz coaches advise him to just head to the locker room. Tie game at 46 heading into the half.

In my opinion, LeBron should have given Haywood the chance to carefully get out of his way. But maybe you can't blame the guy too much after getting fouled on that pick. Has anyone caught their breath yet?

Player Stats:

1. 12 points, 10 boards for Jamison.
2. Haywood set an early tone with 12 and 5.
3. I hope I didn't jinx Butler, 4 points on 1-4 shooting.
4. Arenas has 14 points in 9 minutes, 4-4 on 3s.
5. Blatche leads the Wiz with +14 in 6:23 (thanks to playing with Gil).
6. Ilgauskas has 14 and 7.
7. James has 12 on 4-9 shooting, didn't get his 1st FG until 8 left in 2nd.

Team Stats:

1. FTs: 2-3 for Wiz, 13-15 for Cavs.
2. Boards: 22-21 Cleveland (one more defensive, 5 offensive for both).
3. FG%: 44.4 for the Wiz, 35.7 for the Cavs.
4. The Comcast pivitol play of the game is the scuffle at the end.
   

Eddie Jordan wired up in the locker room:  "The team D is pretty darn good."

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