As I was watching the end of tonight's Celtics demolition, I kept thinking to myself: "What can the Wizards learn from these franchises?"  This is kind of an unfair question, because it's been proven that you can win the title in many different ways, but it's only natural.  When a guitarist looks for inspiration for success, he studies Jimmy Paige or Keith Richards.  When an artist does the same, he studies Van Gough or Michaelangelo. 

There are two ways to think of the Celtics winning the title.  On the one hand, you could argue that it proves that no team should ever be afraid about making big changes.  Boston basically revamped their entire team, and it still came together perfectly.  To apply it to the Wizards, you could say that they should not be so dead-set on maintaining the status quo. Consequently, you could also argue that this year proved the age-old (and mind-bogglingly annoying) adage that "defense wins championships."  Boston had the best defense, LA had the best offense, and Boston emphatically won.  (I'd argue more that the difference between Boston's defense and everyone else's was greater than the difference between LA's offense and everyone else's, for the record).  The Wizards don't play defense right now, ergo they are not a championship team until they ditch their offense-first players and get defensive players.

However, I chose to think of it in another way.  When I think of the Celtics and the Lakers, I think of two teams that were only able to win by stockpiling cheap assets and using them for real upgrades.  Boston's assets were all their young players from previous seasons.  Al Jefferson.  Delonte West.  Ryan Gomes.  Gerald Green.  Sebastian Telfair.  Four of those guys were first-round picks.  One of them, Jefferson, was turning into a really good young big.  It was only because of them (and Theo Ratliff's expiring deal, with an assist from Kevin McHale) that the Celtics got Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.  They also were able to get production out of Rajon Rondo (another mid first-round pick), Kendrick Perkins (ditto) and second-rounders like Leon Powe and Glen Davis.  That's the textbook example of stockpiling and managing asssets.

Both the Celtics and the Lakers got to the point where they could bring in stars without having to trade their own (unless you count Jefferson).  That's how teams improve.  Teams don't improve by trading their stars, they improve by stocking assets around them and using those assets either in trades or to fill specific roles.  Young talent is the most effective talent in this league, because it's cheap and it carries the prospect of future stardom.  All championship teams draft well and use those picks effectively.  Boston and LA are textbook examples of this.

What does that mean?  It means re-signing Arenas and Jamison doesn't automatically mean we can't improve our team down the road.  Both Boston and LA took a lot of lumps, but they persevered by never stopping to stockpile assets.  Ernie Grunfeld needs to step up and do the same this offseason.  He needs to hold onto the 18th pick, draft a useful player, and let him develop.  Maybe guys like Nick Young and Andray Blatche become players, maybe they get moved in two years when AD, Haywood and Etan all expire, but either way, they eventually help you build around your core players.  Trading your core players just brings you back to square one, and I'm not sure we're ready for that.

Again, that's just another way of looking at it, but it's all I was thinking about as the clock ran out.  I saw Paul Pierce, a star who played for so long on crummy teams, who suffered tons of criticism for hurting the rest of the team with his selfish play, who was involved in so many trade rumors and who visibly showed his frustration, win the Most Valuable Player award, and I couldn't help but think about Gilbert Arenas.  Imagine if the Celtics traded Pierce instead of keeping him and building around him?  Certainly the Celtics wouldn't be where they were right now.  Admittedly, Arenas' situation is different because of the knee injuries, but there are some eerie parallels to their situations.  At 26, Arenas still has lots of years left to get to where Pierce is right now.

(AP Photo/Nick Wass)

I had some pre-game thoughts at the beginning of this game blog, but they were getting a little lengthy, so I posted them on TruthAboutIt.net . Read if you would like.....

Quarter One

Off we go....

Gil starts and is matched up on Delonte West, he was on Wally last game. Butler is still on James and DeShawn is on Wally.

Hubie Brown likes the defensive aggressiveness to start as Arenas is working on deflections.

10:16: Wiz get a steal, DeShawn takes it all the way gets the foul and a goal-tending on LeBron James. The Lock Smith throws up the Rocafella diamond in the direction of the Cavs bench. Not going to talk trash about Jay-Z, huh? 5-2 Wiz.

9:48: Butler gets going early too with a baseline jumper on LeBron....good stuff. The fans seem to be making a nice showing on Sunday afternoon too.

Nice drive by DeShawn past LeBron and a drop off to Haywood for a dunk. 9-4 Wizards.

Gil pulls the chair out from under a posting Wally...loose ball, Cavs get it, lose the ball again but the Wiz can’t take advantage as Gil's lob past was a little too long for Jamison. Turnover.

8:01: Haywood is killing two birds with one possession. Draws a foul on the floor on Big Z and then gets a baby hook. 11-6 Wizards.

7:46: LeBron has hit his first two outside shots....and that's okay, he can score all he wants, just don't let him pile up assists.

7:20: Arenas drives on Wally...easy.....the double must come over and AJ is there for the dump off. 13-8 Wizards.

6:57: Wally hits a fadeaway deuce over Arenas, but Arenas is playing with more intensity on D that I've seen out of him before.

While I like the hot Wiz shooting so far, 7-8, I am not fond of the 4 turnovers, 3 by Gil....but none of them have really been bad turnovers.

3:53: Gil tries to force the ball to Caron who is posting LeBron at the 3 point line....bad idea, LeBron pokes the ball away and ends it with a wicked windmill dunk. 18-15 Cleveland.

1:22: AD hits a jab step back three...huh? 23-22 Wizards.

1:06: The Brazilian Spaz = Mr. Softy miss a lay-up.

0:58: AJ hits another crazy running hook and has his angry game face on. 25-22 Wiz.

0:16: AJ rolls home a trey ball. 11 first quarter points for the man.

LeBron then gets called for an offensive foul as he throws the arm out into Jamison's chest...the tears start streaming. LBJ has 2 fouls and 8 points.

Looks like he may have the case for a measly touch foul. After the last 0:00.7 ticks away, Bron Bron puts on his pacifier in the form of a long sleeve navy blue shirt and whines in Joey Crawford's ear.

Wiz up 28-24 after 1. They were boosted by 11-14 shooting, 2-3 from deep, but we're held back by 6 turnovers, 4 by Gilbert in 8 minutes. The Wiz need to reign it in on their gambles.

Quarter Two

AD, AJ, Andray, D-Song and the Silent Assassin start the 2nd for the Wiz.

10:53: Bad call...the Cavs get a steal, at least Jamison manages to accidentally clock the Brazilian Spaz with an elbow, Devin Brown leads the break, Mason hustles back to attempt a strip, but they call a foul in the act of shooting. The replay reveals that Brown lost the ball going up before he was even touched. Oh well. 29-28 Cavs after FTs.

9:43: Damn...Roger Mason misses an open three, his second. C'mon Rog, you can do this...it was a transition 3 attempt, Hubie Brown would rather him go to the basket.

It's a physical game within legal confines. Mike Tirico points out that there is a lot of bumping, banging and whining happening on each trip.....he fails to point out that Cleveland is doing a majority of the whining.

9:15: MaseOn with a trey ball...that's a way to keep shooting fella. 33-29 Wizards.

9:03: Gilbert checks back in......keep that knee loose and warm - not sure if he was riding the bike during his down time.

Eddie Jordan's small lineup of Daniels, Mason, Arenas, Songaila and Butler is giving up some offensive boards , but Cleveland is not adept at taking advantage. Cleveland has Z, LeBron, Wally, Brown and Gibson on the floor.

7:34: The Silent Assassin's bullets are locked and loaded...very tough shot on the baseline fading out of bounds on the right side of the court (facing the basket) and with the right hand, of course. 37-29 Wiz.

7:17: Haywood comes back in to boost the rebounding game...for AD.

6:50: LeBron James is intent on taking it to the hoop to make Cleveland's 5 point total for the quarter 7, their first points in about 4 minutes. 37-31 Wiz.

6:28: D-Song takes LeBron in the post...a foul is called, but it's not LeBron's 3rd. They somehow call it on Benny Wallace, who was second to foul......the fans give LBJ the overrated treatment.

6:15: "Delonte West out to lunch." Mike Tirico on a Cleveland turnover.

Gil misses a deuce...not in the offense....LeBron gets a power slam on the other end. The Wizards come down, but the offensive flow is clogged. Eddie Jordan timeout. 39-33 Wizards.

Hubie Brown is composing Valentine's Day cards for Darius Songaila.

4:51: The Wiz offense has gone a little cold. Not a FG since Roger Mason at 7:34.

4:20: Haywood is not helping the effort to keep the Cavs off the glass.....they now have 12 second chance points and a 9-1 edge on the offensive boards. 3 on one possession leads to a Delonte West trey. 39-38 Wiz.

3:54: Jamison gets blocked by Wallace and the Wiz can't recover in time to get an attempt before the shot clock goes off.

3:30: West steals the ball from Haywood at the FT line from behind.

3:25: Cavs come back down....LeBron goes hard. Stevenson takes a swipe.....looks to clip ball first but then gets a whole lot of LeBron's face. LeBron gets mad...bodies up....some pride is displayed as DeShawn gets off the floor..the refs do a good job to make peace. Cleveland fans will be pissed at the Lock Smith's swipe, probably calling it cheap head-hunting. He did look to be going to for the ball, but the motion can definitely be taken as an act of aggression as LeBron's headband went flying. A flagrant one is called on Stevenson. Mike Brown sprints out to check on his son, his paycheck, LBJ.

3:08: Wiz play good D....get the ball...but ANOTHER careless turnover. LeBron nails a trey to cap an 11-0 Cleveland run. 42-39 Cavs.

2:43: Caron misses a baseline jumper and then fouls LeBron attempting a long 3 on the other end. The Wizards are losing their composure on both ends. They are making LeBron mad and he is starting to channel than into a display of skills. Thankfully there is a TV timeout.

2:25: The Wizards are even having trouble passing the ball to each other.....nothing is crisp. Finally, AJ earns a trip to the FT line. 44-41 Cavs.

Hubie points out that the Wizards had 14 points in the paint in the first quarter....none so far in the 2nd. What right did they have to become complacent?

1:54: CRAP! Gil takes and misses a trey ball for no good reason.

People on Bullets Forever are calling for an Arenas exit and Mason entrance.

1:33: Jamison shoots a three with 18 seconds on the shot clock. What the hell was discussed during the timeout?

Down the court...Cavs o board....no points...Wizards turnover....huge dunk by LeBron. 51-41 Cleveland.

1:11: Daniels misses an open three...just because you're wide open....eff it. Finally the Wiz get second chance points with an AJ putback.

0:55: Transition D? Seat's taken......Boobie nails a trey. 54-43 Cavs.

0:38: Caron takes another outside jumper...luckily Jamison works on the boards and earns two FTs, but makes only 1. Yup, the extent of the offense in the past 6 minutes amounts to Jamison earning 3 FTs and a putback on offensive board work.

0:05: Daniels drives.....but Stevenson misses an open trey. F-ING OUTSIDE SHOTS!!!!!!!!!!

Wiz were up 8 around the 6 minute mark, but the Cavs made a run....ABC is crediting the hard foul by DeShawn. 54-44 Cleveland at the half.

Run Down

1. Eddie Jordan needs to get real in his halftime speech.
2. 2nd quarter = 5 turnovers, 4-21 shooting.
3. Game: 26-16 boards in favor of Cavs.
4. Double-U, Tee, Eff?
5. Jon Barry thinks that DeShawn should have been thrown out.....dork.
6. Amare Stoudamire looks to be sporting one of the worst blue jean outfits I've ever seen (as if I've seen a "good" blue jean outfit) -- it looks akin to a prison jumpsuit.
7. Gut check time.

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Wack Rapper Alert!
(but hey....if it means good luck....)

Copyright 2008 NBAE (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images)

[As a result of yesterday's technical difficulties, this game blog also appears on TruthAboutIt.net, along with Jake's Game Thread , a Festivus of Game 3-Related Links , and The Haywood Incident: A Final Thought.]

As I'm sure the guys will do the same, along with SB Nation (as they were having trouble with most of their blogs), we apologize profusely for yesterday's outage. I haven't received word on what officially happened, but let's just say there is a reason for everything and that it led the Wizards to getting their first win in this year's playoffs out of the way. I truly missed the live comments that we've had going for games. Here's to bouncing back on Sunday. And now, I present to you, the game blog (a 63 point swing, how about that?):

David Stern was on Comcast before the game talking with Russ Thaler and Mike Wise of the Washington Post ...who was hitting him with some hard questions, albeit halfway in jest....such as:

Why does LeBron travel worse than Patrick Ewing in the 80s? Laughing non-answer. Or....
Why do superstars get calls? Evidently Stern can prove that this is not true with statistics, but doesn't have the time....yeah riiiight.

Later, Rock Cartwright of the Redskins joins the pregame show. He says that neither Caron Butler parties nor Gilbert Arenas parties have anything on Fred Smoot parties....of course, Mike Wise and Russ Thaler are admittedly put in a rough position.....but they mentioned the Love Boat nonetheless. Unnn-com-for-ta-ble.......

Wow...a lot going on in the pre-game, huh?

Initially, Eddie Jordan said that Gilbert Arenas felt some slight pain and aching in his left knee and that he might not play at all.  Comcast reported this around 7:15.

Then, when the show was thrown to Steve Buckhantz and Phil Chenier, who were "just" handed the starting card at 7:30, Gilbert Arenas' name was on it.

Who knows with this team? As we all are probably well aware, the Wizards had a loose game-day locker room....at least with hair-dos as Caron carved "Tough Juice" in the back of his head , evidently himself, and Andray Blatche and Nick Young were sporting mohawks. My initial reaction is that this team doesn't need to be clowning around...then again, I'd rather have them loose than uptight.

Ron Thompson makes a nice assessment on how Gil starting will affect Roger Mason (as Antonio Daniels will be coming off the bench)....essentially, Ron speculated that Roger might play better because he is used to playing with AD. We will see. Personally, I'm more curious to see how AD will play. (Even though I have a good feeling about the Silent Assassin.) The Wiz have gotten zilch from AD this series. We need his energy off the bench.

Phil Chenier had a recent sit down with Gil:

On yesterday's practice: an "emotional film session" where they knew Eddie Jordan was going to come down some players throats.  He wasn't the usual laid-back Eddie. The most unusual part though was when Gil was talking about Jordan coming down on those who took selfish shots in game 2.....Gil was glad that he only had one instance.....Whhhat? I gotta go back and look at that. Really? Only 1 bad shot from Gil?

Watch Comcast or TNT? How about both....two+ TVs makes it easy, but who do you listen to? I'm inclined to put the volume on TNT. Barkley says that Gil has to "pass the damn ball".....and that seals the deal. I'm going with TNT. I like my hometown guys, but I'm not ready to hear anything slightly bias this game. Of course, we'll have to see how Dick Stockton and Mike Fratello do.....

Arenas is going to be limited to 28-30 minutes....LeBron is miming homeruns on the court during intros....Yankees fans..."great"....and then LBJ does his powder thing. Very original LeBron.

Quarter One

The White-Out looks decent....Bron gets booed as the Cavs get the tip. Caron is defending James to start. He misses a jumper.

Soldier Boy sighting? Nope, not yet...at least not on TV. LeBron blocks a Butler transition layup....and then goes down and gets a layup. Same ol', huh?

10:38: Wiz ball movement gets AJ a lane for a layup...first Wiz points. 2-2 game.

Wally hits and easy step back on Gil...interesting matchup there as DeShawn is on Delonte West.

10:06: Haywood yells after the baby hook. The Cavs go to Wally again cause Gil is on him. Mike Brown will go to whomever Gil is guarding.

Looks like DeShawn has a mohawk too.

9:28: Patient offense....lob to BTH, scores on Big Z and draws the foul...As Ilgauskas is draped on BTH, Haywood stupidly throws a chicken win into his stomach...Big Z then gives a push back. Initially it looks like a tech is just on Z, it's actually a double T and justifiably so...Eddie is pissed. 6-4 Wiz after FTs.

DeShawn gets a steal, but guns a trey.. Nope. Ilgauskas somehow gets a breakaway dunk and BTH smartly doesn't do anything like foul as he was following behind. 6-6 game.

8:51: Gil misses his first 3....high rebound. Two Cavs and DeShawn go up for it..DS gets there first and gets the foul, he really skied on that one.

8:42: Hook Stevenson..LeBron is guarding him and he tries a dribble then guns the rock..a three miss. No need for that BS...

Then Stevenson misses a layup after LBJ (or Wallace) blocked Haywood...not a good start for the Lock Smith.

7:55: Uh oh...getting the calls against LeBron out of the way early..Bron gets a charge called on him.

Gilbert and BTH run a pick and roll....dunk. 8-8 tie. I'm proud of the Verizon center atmosphere....I'm not there but it sounds pretty intense.

Cavs post Wally on Gil...he misses an easy...Arenas drives back at him and gets a lay-in Cleveland didn’t expect drive from Gil. 10-8 Wiz.

5:57: Wallace gives Jamison a bear hug pelvic thrust thingee from the back and picks up his 2nd foul...first commercial break 10-10 game.

Gil goes to the bench and TNT reports that he had an MRI earlier today, the result is a bone bruise. AD is in the game.

5:27: LBJ misses a 3 in the corner, Wallace gets the board. The Wiz don't even pay attention to LBJ going to the hoop to receive pass from Wallace for a dunk. 12-10 Cavs.

AD gets his first layup and looks like himself. Next time down (after a Wally miss), Butler gets his first FG, a midrange baseliner. 14-12 Wiz.

So far on defense, the Wizards are moving much quicker and keeping up with Cleveland's ball movement. This game, they are sprinting to cover their assignments.

3:44: Wiz get into penalty as Joe Smith fouled Butler on a rebound.....seems like the Wiz are going up harder and higher for boards.

3:15: Varejao completely flops....what a douche....but I can't blame the ref for calling a charge as Caron had his arm out there. Butler should know that Andy V. will try to set people up with his dramatics.

Another charge is called...this time on Andray....looks like another good whistle. LeBron is present in the paint, especially on offensive boards, but the Wiz have packed it in, minimizing drives. Another TV timeout, 16-12 Wizards. 5 turnovers for the Cavs, 3 for LBJ...but only 2 points for the Wiz off that. Washington has 4 turnovers themselves.

1:44: LeBron misses an impatient 3...AD jets the rock all the way to the hoop....And 1 on Andy Varejao who judging by his face, has never committed a foul.....ever.

Blatche gets the timing and throws Devin Brown's shit. The Cavs started 6-11 from the field, 1-8 since.

0:09: With the clock winding down, LeBron James goes up, leading with his knee a la Karl Malone. Makes the hoop and 1. Nice move, dick. 21-17 Wizards.

A hard fought first quarter. Wiz were up 9, but it ends 21-17. 

1. Lotta turnovers: 6 for the Cavs, 5 for the Wiz.
   
2. Curiously, Wiz have 5 steals and Cavs have 0.
3. DC is shooting 40% from the field and 5-5 from the FT line.
4. Cavs at 38%, only 1-1 on FTs.

Quarter Two

Both teams start with turnovers. LeBron James on bench to start 2nd.

10:38: MaseON for three. Thanks buddy, bout time....(he missed a layup at the end of 1st). 24-17 Wiz.

Andray blocks Big Z....got to love Blatche's presence to start.

10:06: Mason pump fake....see ya Boobie...ball transfer...and buckets. 2 pointer. 26-17.

9:29: MaseOn again...this one was easy as the Wiz has a 4-1 fast break...Haywood was out high covering a Big Z screen for West, BTH poked the ball away and got the steal. SWARM! 6-0 Silent Assassin run!

Larry Hughes is in the house. Comcast's Chris Miller is interviewing him on the sideline.....and I could care less.

9:04: AD fouled Devin Brown on a 3 attempt.....ok, should be a call....just didn't think they would do it after the shot missed and the rebound was secured (by Varejao I think). Brown makes 2 of 3.

Blatche, Haywood, Mason, Butler and AD in (interesting lineup...I'm down)....Mason miss...Blatche board, kick out to Mason...drive....ball back to Blatche for the dunk. 30-19 Wizards.

MVP so far: Andray Blatche
LVP: DeShawn, 0-3

7:45: Really? Are you kidding me? They call a travel on Big Z? Noooo!! I just heard an 'oink' outside of my 5th floor window. And after that...just as everyone is wondering where LBJ is, Mike Brown gets him off the bench. Pretty good rest for LeBron. Gilbert also checks back in....

7:01: Mason takes a heat check coming off screen...looks like a play run for him, not a bad miss.

Arenas has his point guard head on a swivel coming down the court....Cavs lose Butler, he gets the pass from Gil and a dunk on Andy's back. Mason gets a steal....but misses the three. I would have liked to see Mason not do that. 32-22 Wiz.

6:31: Cavs commit another turnover...their point guard play is terrible. That's their 13th, Delonte has 3.

6:01: Butler hits a trey and everything is going right so far....so far....so far....

Oh, Butler....really? You go for a Varejao pump fake? Cavs points...then a Wiz turnover...trying to go for a homerun pass.

Jamison Block! Benny Wal-lace...wrong direction brah! Wiz get the ball, Jamison runs the court, Gil flips him a no look pass..no basket but foul and 2 FTs. That's the Bill Russell play of the game. 36-24 Wiz.

Hmmm...why is LeBron not going inside as much...scurred? (that's how people say 'scared' in Mur-lin, I mean Maryland)

4:19: Gil with a sweet bounce pass to AJ...he "lulled the Cavs to sleep" - Phil C's words.  But dammit if AJ doesn't miss both FTs.

Tell you what though....as Big Z counters Haywood's points.....the Wiz are doing a much better job with getting hands and eyes in the passing lane when LeBron cuts through.

3:00: Meanwhile...Gilbert Arenas limps into the locker room.

Stevenson rattles home a trey....his face goes numb again...idiot. C'mon, don't do that crap. 43-29 Wizards.

2:33: Butler steal...Mason all the way to the hoop...the Verizon center is going nuts.

The Wizards points off turnovers has picked up....they now have 18.

1:53: Caron hits a running bank...11-2 Wiz run since the 4 minute mark.

0:55: Wow...no really, wow - Caron Butler spins and splits a white guy double team (Big Z and Wally World) he drives and hits a double-clutch hanging one-hander. Amazing. Mike Fratello compares Butler to Elgin Baylor. Barkley would later compare this move to Dr. J. High compliments.

LeBron is a no-go for a shot as the clock runs down...he's pleading his case to the ref. I think I see a tiny Johnny Cochran devil and angel on his shoulders and that's the half.

49-33 Wizards. A great job from every angle...the crowd, the offense, the defense, the coaching. My inner skeptic reminds me that there's a TON of time left. But still, you couldn't script it better.....aside from the part about Gilbert going to the locker room....Cause I've never seen a movie where the supposed good guy gets taken out and the movie gets better, until tonight perhaps. (And no, I'm not counting that movie where Samuel L. Jackson got eaten by a shark, Deep Blue Sea)

Half Stats:

1. Wizards FG=50% (64% in 2nd quarter)- Cavs=39 %.
2. Points in paint 30-12 Wiz.
3. Turnovers: 15 Cle, 9 Wiz.
4. Steals: 9-1 Wiz.
5. FTs 7-9 Wiz, 5-8 Cavs
6. Boards- Cavs up 19-16, 6-2 offensive
7. 3s - 2-8 Wiz, 0-3 Cavs
8. LBJ was 5-11, the rest of Cleveland was 9-25
9. Points: Caron 12, LeBron 11, Haywood 10

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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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Box Score
Post Recap
Times Recap
Live Blog (look down)
Gilbertology Recap

The Other Side:
And One Recap
Waiting For Next Year Recap
Le Cavs Recap

(There are many other great links out there. but for the sake of time and my sanity, I'm just sticking to the big ones here.)

Highest Plus/Minus: Andray Blatche (+7)
Lowest Plus/Minus: Brendan Haywood (-19)

All in all, I don't think that was too bad.  Yes, like cuppetcj, I'm  concerned about the late game execution, but I'm not panicking yet.  As a general rule, the home team is going to have the edge in an intense, highly emotional game like that and I think it manifested itself in the closing minutes.

The game reminded me a lot of game 1 of the '06 series, just this time the crowd was in a frenzy because of the smack talk instead of the thrill of making it back to the playoffs.  When you compare the two opening games, you have to say that Washington weathered the opening storm much better this time than they did in '06 where LeBron put up a triple-double and Cleveland dominated throughout.  I know it's too soon to say if the rest of the series will be anything like that one, but I'm encouraged that it was much closer this time around.

Despite losing, I think the Wiz did a lot of things well, including (in no particular order):

1. Rebounding!  Obviously, a lot of the credit here goes to Jamison who pulled down 19(!!!) boards.  He's not going to be able to keep that up all series, but I liked the intensity.  If he keeps that up, he'll be fine.  Haywood had a strong game on the glass as well, not as good as Z, but he kept it close, and I can live with that.  I know Blatche didn't play much, but I'd like to see more out of him on the glass (not to mention scoring).
2. Guarding LeBron when he had the ball.  No, they didn't shut him down, but if you anticipated that coming in then you're going to leave disappointed every time.  For the most part, I think they had a good defensive plan to deter LeBron from driving and creating extra opportunities for himself at the foul line and creating open shots for others.
3. Hibachi!  Gilbert is probably the only player who can go from firing a hideous airball on his first shot to nailing 4 straight bombs from outside and make it look completely natural.  He tailed off at the end, but that happens when you're not 100%.  He showed how dangerous he is, but at this point, I still think he's better suited coming off the bench.  Maybe by Game 3 or 4 he'll be ready, but I'd still hold off on putting him in there just yet.

Now as for what they could improve on (again, in no particular order):

1. Drive. Drive. Drive. Drive.  Memo to Caron: When you take it to the hole, good things happen.  When Delonte West gets to the line more than you do, good things aren't happening.  Cc: Gilbert Arenas (since he probably won't hit 4-5 from deep every game).
2. Guarding LeBron off of the ball.  As good as the defense was on LeBron when he had the ball, it was just as bad when he was off the ball.  Granted, there's no defense for this, but there were far too many times that he was getting open off screens  and getting alley oops.  Yes, I'd prefer having him limited to being just a scorer rather than a slashing/passing/rebounding manbeast, but I'd rather keep him from doing both.
   
3. Make them come outside.  Memo to Antawn: The Cavs aren't respecting your outside shooting skills.  They're challenging you to beat them from outside.  Don't settle out there, but don't let them get away with it either.  Cc: Roger Mason, DeShawn Stevenson.

I think most of the problems from Game 1 can be fixed in time for Game 2, but in order to make it happen, they're going to need to make the realization that Mike Wise talks about in his latest (brilliant) column:

 But you do have to wonder when and if the Wizards are going to realize they have more weapons, more depth and too much talent to let one great player and a smattering of very marginal role players ruin Washington's postseason for the third year in a row.

If they can make that realization and play with the confidence that comes with it, they'll be fine.

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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