Wizards 88, Cavs 87

–Let’s get a few things out of the way off the bat. First, tremendous shot by Caron Butler and a tremendous performance. LeBron James was on him pretty good and he didn’t have a great angle, especially with Ben Wallace coming to help, and he got it in there. Although, am I crazy or did someone’s hand who hit the bottom of the the net maybe help wiggle that ball in? No matter, it went it. Second, LeBron drew contract to be sure on his last shot but it was a fair no call. Darius Songalia didn’t jump or even hit him on the upper body, he got off a fair try. Though the scene was a little wild. All the Cavs were standing on the court like they’d heard a whistle and so were some of the Wizards. Then the refs all go to the center of the floor, look at each other for a minute and then walk over to the scorer’s table. Everyone in the arena thinks they are going to review it like the Philly game but, nope, they were just asking for their jackets. It was funny sort of, the whole arena didn’t get it was over until they took the jackets.
–OK, now the Cavs may really, really look back at this one and regret it. Like, depending on how things go, maybe regret it all summer. Up by five points, at home, in a closeout game with the ball and 1:47 left. The offense totally did nothing for three straight possessions. They come out of a timeout and LeBron dribbles the ball for 20 seconds and puts up a terrible 3-pointer. Then LeBron dribbles for awhile and Daniel Gibson puts up an open 3, but not a good 3 in my opinion. And Joe Smith misses a short jumper, but he really didn’t have time because the shot clock was up because…LeBron had spent most of it dribbling. All this despite: 1. The officials were calling lots of fouls (LeBron got to the line 18 times and both teams got there a combined 27 times in the fourth quarte)r. 2. Darius Songalia was covering Zydrunas Ilgauskas with five fouls. Poor coaching and poor decision-making by LeBron. Yes, you are going to live and die with him making plays, but at this point in his career, he must know better. And Mike Brown needs to call something else after it doesn’t work twice.
–The Cavs shot 36 percent tonight and do you want to know how many layups they missed? Now think about it for a moment…form a guess in your head…it’s pretty high…I was actually a little surprised when I counted them up…ready?…how about 15. That’s right 15 missed layups. That’s shots from two feet and less according to the stats folks, which means it doesn’t even count LeBron’s last shot. And, no, I am not counting tip in misses. Some of them were heavily contested but so many weren’t (think Wally Szczerbiak) and it is just hard to overcome that in a game like this.
–Indeed, the Wizards made some shots, but I felt the Cavs played pretty good defense. In the second half, in fact, the Wizards shot just 32 percent. Oh, then again, so did the Cavs. If you hold the Wizards to 87 points, it should be a victory. The Cavs held them to 86 in both Games 1 and 2 and got wins. The Wizards only won nine games this season when they didn’t score 100 points and only three when they didn’t score 90. So while you see a one-point loss, especially when LeBron missed the last shot, it is tempting to say those are the breaks and move on. But this was a Cavs-style game and a game they should’ve won. You must assume the Wizards have another good shooting night in them and it could be Friday.
–I think based on this series it is safe to say that Washington plays better without Gilbert Arenas, at least right now. They move better on offense because he’s not dribbling so much and they are slightly better on defense. Him sitting down might actually help them out.
–So much happened after this, but you have to feel a pivotal moment in the game happened in the third quarter when the Wizards got five shots on one possession. The Cavs were on an 11-0 run at the time and up six points and who knows how big that run would’ve been had that not happened. It was a key turning point, the Wizards ended up going on a run to take the lead by the end of the quarter. By the way, Z only had one defensive rebound tonight. Some of the troubles are on him.
–Don’t think you have seen the last of the hack-a-Ben move. In general, I dislike it no matter who it is. However, in that moment it was quite smart and it forced him off the floor.

Recap:

Pregame

Starting lineups

Wizards: Antonio Daniels, DeShawn Stevenson, Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison, Brendan Haywood
Cavs: Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak, LeBron James, Ben Wallace, Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Officials
Joe DeRosa, Mike Callahan, James Capers

–Gilbert Arenas decided, apparently on his own, that he’s not playing tonight and not playing again this season. He made the announcement to the media about 70 minutes before game time. Wizards coach Eddie Jordan said it was the first he’d heard of it. So all that can’t exactly thrill him. Apparently Gilbert took a shot before Game 4, which enabled him to go from five minutes to 32 minutes. But he was nervous about taking the shot and my guess is he didn’t feel like doing it again, especially with his free agency coming up. Still, if Jordan honestly didn’t know that had to destabilize the Wizards locker room somewhat. Meanwhile, Gilbert is bouncing around the halls here at Quicken Loans Arena acting as if everything is A-OK.
–That said, the Wizards are used to playing without him and their win in this series came in a game in which he barely played. So it’s not like he is the lifeblood of the team anymore. He hasn’t been scoring much since Game 1 and maybe hurt them on defense at times. So don’t expect Washington to just wave the white flag.
–Sasha Pavlovic will be activated for this game. He took part in practice yesterday on his recovering sprained left ankle. Mike Brown said he likely won’t play.
–The Wizards are making rebounding a big key tonight. But one of the reasons Ben Wallace is getting rebounds — and Anderson Varejao and Joe Smith — is because the Wizards are double-teaming Zydrunas Ilgauskas and LeBron James at times and it is freeing up the weakside for rebounds. That and the Cavs are one of the best rebounding teams in the league, including the best offensive rebounding team. So they’ll have to pick their poison a little on that tonight, they had done a good job of slowing down Z over the last few games.

Halftime — Wizards 45, Cavs 43

–The Cavs are fortunate to only be down two points at this juncture. Had the Wizards not committed at least five unforced turnovers the disparity would be greater. Otherwise, the Wizards have played with a higher execution level. They are more active driving and kicking the ball on offensive, which has gotten them a bunch of open shots. Stevenson has taken the most advantage.
–LeBron is not having a good offensive game, largely due to decision making. The Wizards are not doubling him as much on the outside but are doubling him on his drives and it has confused him a bit. It has kept him away from the basket and he’s mostly settled for 3-pointers, which is the weakest part of his game. The Cavs are going to have to make some adjustments and he’s going to have to find a better way to attack.
–Wally Szczerbiak was terrible in his time in the game. Caron Butler scored 11 points on him and he committed three turnovers. However, Butler is really just making jumpers. In fact, in general, the Wizards have just shot jumpers well.
–As for the latest little dustup from the first quarter, I am still not sure what happened. The Wizards said LeBron was pushing Darius Songalia, but even if he was, Songalia hit him in the head. So I am not sure why it was a technical and not another flagrant, maybe because it was after the play. Just another reason for the teams to dislike each other.
–Zydrunas Ilgauskas has saved the Cavs in the first on offense. They have not shot the ball well, except on 3-pointers but Z has victimized Brendan Haywood when playing 1-on-1 and has two putbacks. Perhaps it is something the Wizards are doing, but I don’t understand why there aren’t more pick-and-pops to get Z mid-range jumpers with LeBron over the last few games.

Postgame

Stars
Butler, 32 points, nine rebounds, five assists
Stevenson, 17 points, five rebounds
James, 34 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists
Z, 19 points, six rebounds

Quotes
Eddie Jordan: ” We got a miss for the first time since who knows when. It’s been a (Sasha) Pavlovic make, it’s a Delonte West make, it’s a Daniel Gibson make, it’s a Damon Jones make. Every game it seems like we lose. We finally get a miss.”
LeBron: “There was a lot of contact but I supposed to make that, I’ve made more difficult shots. We can’t rely on me getting a foul at the end of the game. We didn’t execute being up five and I had the ball in my hands for the most part. I’m supposed to put us in the position to do the right thing and I didn’t do that. It’s not like it’s over, we’re up 3-2. As long as I’m on the court, we have a great chance to win. Of course I am still confident.”
Butler: “We heard all the quotes of how the series was over. This team has been through a lot this season, a ton of adversity. We’ve proven all the doubters wrong and this is just another opportunity.

Brendan Haywood to the media today after hearing LeBron James’ quote that the Wizards were trying to hurt him:

“C’mon man, this is the playoffs. He wears 23 and he wants to be Michael Jordan. I respect that because he’s a great player. But look what Mike went through. Mike got fouled way worse than this. You know what I’m saying? Nobody is trying to hurt him. Everybody is trying to play basketball, trying to win, trying to play tough. Leave it alone.”

The Cavs were off today so we’ll have to wait for LeBron’s response if there is one. He expressed he was tired of all the talk before the game yesterday. Say this for Haywood, he is not afraid to say anything. Of course in the Wizards’ locker room they are going to mock LeBron and Mike Brown and Moondog. They can call all of them cry babies then and laugh and stuff. Of course in meetings Eddie Jordan is going to talk about how the team should foul LeBron and foul him hard. Sure when Drew Gooden and DeShawn Stevenson are on the phone or chillin’ they can rip LeBron and call him names. Hey, we all do stuff like that at one time or another.

But these Wiz, they just put it all out there in the open and get called stupid, get booed and get beaten over and over. You gotta give them a nod, if only everyone in Washington operated with such transparency.

Cavs 100, Wizards 97

–By my count, this game was the sixth time LeBron James has beaten the Wizards with a pass or a shot in the final minute of a playoff game. His short jumper in Game 3 in 2006, his baseline layup past Antawn Jamison in Game 5 the same year, his pass out of the double team to Larry Hughes, who passed to Damon Jones for the winner in Game 6 (hockey assist). Last year in Game 3 he hit Sasha Pavlovic out of a trap for a 3-point to clinch Game 3 here at the Verizon Center. Then this year his two shots in Game 1 and the pass to Delonte West today. Wizards are sick of this stuff.
–In Game 3, Cavs were 2-of-16 from 3-point range, which made their handling of the double teams on LeBron seem weak. Today they were 13-of-28 (though that is a lot of 3s, man) with Delonte West and Daniel Gibson going 9-of-15. Major, major difference.
–After the game, LeBron said DeShawn Stevenson hit him with a closed fist on the flagrant foul in the first half. I have since seen some photos that support that but it was not clear. Also, he seemed to go for the ball. I suspect the Cavs will push hard to have him to have the foul upgraded but it probably won’t happen. Here is the thing, people who know DeShawn have told me they think he’s crazy enough to attempt to go head hunting for LeBron in Game 5 if he thinks it is over just because of how personal this has all gotten. We’ll see.
–Seemed to be three emotions coming from folks at Verizon Center. One, they were frustrated they’d just lost another close game to the Cavs, who they are still sure they are better than. Two, they think LeBron is a cry baby for complaining about the fouls. Three, this series is over.
–I am not sure Gilbert Arenas taking the final shot was the best move for the Wiz and Eddie Jordan said as much after the game. He thought he should’ve maybe used him as a decoy considering he has not made a 3-pointer since Game 1. Plus Caron Butler was hot at the moment. But I guess you’ve got to give the ball to the superstar in that spot and ask to make a play. That’s what the Cavs did with LeBron and he passed.
–A factor down the stretch was that LeBron had five fouls. That is why he pulled up for a 15-footer on the second to last possession because he was concerned about an offensive foul. The officials had already called him for two in the game. He was more prone to shoot jumpers, which is why he was not as effective in scoring in the fourth. Especially in the last three minutes after he got the fifth.
–Earlier this season Daniel Gibson told me he’d never had a technical foul called on him in his life. Now, he’s got two including one today after he shoved Brendan Haywood in the, ahem, man area. Boobie said that Haywood was hanging on the rim and sort of in his face if you know what I mean so he pushed them away. I’ve seen the replay and he’s right. Haywood has had some good games in this series, but he’s also been, um, staying over people in a disrespectful manner to quote LeBron.
–A huge factor in this game was Joe Smith, who had more rebounds himself (8) than the entire Wizards bench. Plus he threw a great pick on Antawn Jamison to make sure Delonte West had shooting room on the final shot.

Pregame

Starting lineups

Cavs: Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak, LeBron James, Ben Wallace, Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Wizards: Gilbert Arenas, DeShawn Stevenson, Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison, Brendan Haywood

Officials
Joey Crawford, Bill Spooner, Michael Smith. Joey Crawford, enough said.

–Arenas will start because he said he felt better in practice yesterday. That left knee of his is messed up but he’s rested it a lot over the last five or six days. So he may be able to play just 10 minutes or he may be able to shoot well like he did in Game 1. Nobody knows, not even him. The Cavs said they are preparing themselves like he’s going to play his 25 minutes.
–The Cavs have vowed to be more ready for the Wizards’ pressure today. Some of it just comes down to decision-making and some of it is aggressiveness. Frankly, they Cavs were not ready mentally to come in and play here in Game 3. Most playoff games here have not featured such an intense crowd or the vigor from the Wizards. So they’ll probably have their difficulties at times, but there they promise a better mindset.
–A key in this game will be the benches, I think. In Game 2, the Cavs was excellent and in Game 3 the Wizards were great. Antonio Daniels and Andray Blatche played their best games of the series while Daniel Gibson was a turnover machine, Joe Smith was a foul machine and Anderson Varejao didn’t do much. The contribution from those guys is something to watch.
–Before the game, LeBron seemed to be pretty focused to me. I think he’s tired of hearing about Game 3, and he is surely tired about DeShawn Stevenson. He said everything has become way too commercial. Pat McManamon wrote about it in his blog if you want it. Frankly, I am just tired of the junk. It was fun, we in the media had fun with it, but this series is entering is guts and it is time to focus on basketball and not trash talk and rappers. LeBron sounded as if he was and I am sure DeShawn and the Wizards feel the same way.
–The Cavs have decided to put away their blue uniforms, which have been a playoff standard for three years, and go with the wine. For whatever that is worth. LeBron said they hadn’t played well in the blues all year. I guess he keeps track of that stuff.

Halftime — Cavs 54, Wizards 44

–This is the reason the Cavs got themselves Ben Wallace, he had a large hand in changing the game in the second quarter. He has proven he can’t do it every night anymore, but he can do it at times. When the Wizards were up by eight, both Wallace and Delonte West got very aggressive defensively and it flopped the momentum. The Cavs had eight fastbreak points in their 23-4 run and Wallace had seven rebounds. Also, the Wizards starting missing some shots. They were just 4-of-21 in the second quarter after shooting 80 percent in the first quarter…and only leading by four.
–LeBron James’ got fired up after Stevenson hit him with a flagrant foul. His energy level increased and the Cavs came with him. It is at these times when he takes over games that he becomes the transcendent player. In the Washington Post today, Stevenson said LeBron isn’t the kind of player who keeps you up at night like Kobe. If LeBron has another second half like the first, I predict DeShawn won’t sleep well tonight. He spent a lot on the outside in the early going but started driving in transition after the foul.
–The Wizards were playing zone and keeping the ball from Zydrunas Ilgauskas early in the second quarter. They were doing an excellent job and the offense was stalling out. Mike Brown then went with a small lineup with Wallace at center and James at power forward and it started the turnaround. Brendan Haywood was unable to take advantage of Wallace and the Cavs defense picked up. Joe Smith later came in to balance it out more.
–I refresh my idea about fining Anderson Varejao for each dribble. But I suspect he’ll have an impactful play or two at the defensive end in this game.
–The Cavs have 12 second-chance points, a huge factor in the game. They scored 54 points and only shot 43 percent in the first half.
–The Cavs had 11 turnovers in the first half, which is still a lot. But it only cost them eight points, they were lucky it was not worse. On of the reasons is because the Cavs have stolen the ball right back about three times, at least twice by West.
–Expect the Wizards to get hot from the floor again, but we’ll see if the Cavs’ defense keeps up. That is where the Cavs are winning the game right now.

Postgame

Stars
LeBron, 34 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists
West, 21 points, five assists
Jamison, 23 points, 11 rebounds
Butler, 19 points

Quotes
Mike Brown: “Not only can he score, not only can he rebound, but he’s got the ultimate trust in his teammates. That’s why he’s going to go down as the best player in this game.”
LeBron: If we were in the park where I grew up, something definitely would’ve happened (on the flagrant). I guess they want to hurt LeBron James this series. It isn’t working…. Do I think they can (make a comeback)? No.”
Jamison: ” “That’s why he is LeBron James. It’s just unfortunate for us.”

Wizards 108, Cavs 72

–The Cavs that you watched for six months didn’t just disappear, which you perhaps might have thought after Game 2. They are still very capable of losing their minds on offense and playing extremely passive on the road. Considering the two steps forward, one step back nature of the regular season it was perfect irony that the Cavs backed up their largest playoff win in franchise history with their most lopsided loss. Par for the course.
–I don’t think you can take too many trends out of this game. The Wizards double teamed LeBron James far from the basket and neither he nor his teammates nor Mike Brown reacted well at all to it. It’s not like he hasn’t seen that defense before, so why they kept giving him the ball on the outside to let the Wizards execute their plan was a little beyond me. Again, though, we’ve seen it before. Who needs hard fouls, when LeBron doesn’t get anywhere near the basket? The Wizards fed off all the resulting turnovers and long jumpers for easy baskets and that combined with almost all of their players getting going shooting the ball for a blowout. I expected this series to go seven games and I expect there to be more momentum swings like this. Mike Brown did a great job with changes in Game 2, Eddie Jordan came back and one-upped him in Game 3 so now let’s see who is better on Sunday.
–It was a fun night for the Wizards fans and for DeShawn Stevenson, who finally hit a few shots. To make the story better, it happened with Soulja Boy sitting in the front row. By the way, what a demonstration of pop culture. LeBron made a joking comment about Stevenson last month and mentioned Soulja Boy, who apparently couldn’t even name you all the NBA teams, and he can’t pass up the marketing chances to show up and get involved. And it was, fun. But don’t look at it as anything more than just a sidelight. Let me just say one thing, the Soulja kid was the only one I saw wearing a Stevenson jersey other than Stevenson himself tonight. But the Wizards fans should boo LeBron and chant “overrated,” too, it makes the rivalry more intense.
–The Wizards said Gilbert Arenas has a pinched nerve in his knee, but that he should play Sunday. I’m not sure how much longer Gil is going to keep pounding that knee, which obviously is not close to being right. We’ll see what happens there.
–It seems like Caron Butler and Antonio Daniels went back and watched film on how they have torched the Cavs in the past. They did it with aggressive drives, which the Cavs have struggled to defend. Expect to see more of that from both the rest of the way.
–Remember how the trade guys were so great in Game 2. Well, Delonte West had five points and four turnovers, Ben Wallace played just 16 minutes, Joe Smith fouled out in 16 minutes, and Wally Szczerbiak was 3-of-9 and got eaten up by Butler. Check back next game for further progress.
–The Wizards do this cool thing where they honor injured troops from Iraq who are recovering at nearby Walter Reed hospital. But while they were on the scoreboard tonight, one of the soldiers took off his prosthetic leg, poured beer into it and started drinking out of it. Um, it was quite disturbing to me.

Recap:

Pregame

Starting lineups

Cavs: Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak, LeBron James, Ben Wallace, Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Wiz: Gilbert Arenas, DeShawn Stevenson, Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison, Brendan Haywood

Officials
Jim Clark, Eddie F. Rush, Sean Corbin. Of the three, Corbin has the quickest trigger finger, he is not liked in Detroit for all the techs he’s called on Rasheed Wallace over the years.

–Eddie Jordan is playing some games, he said that Antonio Daniels would start at point guard but it appears he submitted a lineup with Arenas in there. The Cavs actually suspected this for the las t couple days, the Wiz are looking for momentum and this is a way to shake things up. It will be interesting to see if Jordan extends Gilbert’s minutes now that he’ll probably be starting both halves. I expect LeBron to be on him much of the time.
–Caron Butler is vowing to have a better game on Szczerbiak and the Wizards are vowing to move the ball better on offense, which indeed would help against how the Cavs play. They are due to hit some shots, but the Cavs are preaching poise on the road.
–We’ll see if the Cavs can continue to take care of the ball. They have just 19 turnovers in the first two games and it has kept Washington out of fastbreaks. There will be extra pressure tonight and they will be out of their comfort level, so this will be a test. Especially for West and Daniel Gibson.
–Supposedly this game is not sold out, but I still expected a good crowd. It was reasonably lame in the playoffs the last two years but when I was here a month ago the crowd was very much into the game. The Cavs have not played well on the road since the trade, but they played very well in Philly last week.
–David Stern is at the game and he met with the media a few minutes ago. He said he watched a bunch of replays on the Haywood foul on LeBron, he thought it was the right call to eject him and he didn’t have a problem with him not being suspended. This is no surprise, of course he is going to back up his office’s decisions.
–How many time will we hear the Soulja Boy song tonight? My guess is quite a few.

Halftime — Wizards 49, Cavs 33

–As would be expected to a degree, the tables have turned a little so far. The Wizards are playing with a lot of energy and the Cavs are playing tentative. When the Cavs have had the ball, the Wizards have tried to extend their defense a little and force pressure on the outside and the Cavs have not handled it well, especially Delonte West and Daniel Gibson. They already have 15 turnovers and actually I think the stats crew may have missed one or two. It has only cost them 18 points, which is actually remarkable because it could be worse. When the Cavs have gotten into their offense they’ve gotten good shots, but it hasn’t happened that much. They had just four points in the paint in the second quarter and LeBron had just one basket, a fadeaway jumper. The Wizards, meanwhile had 30 points in the paint. Obviously, they will need to get some poise back to have any chance.
–The Cavs played some pretty decent defense early on, they contested some shots and forced the Wizards outside. But as is their custom, without much offensive mojo they let down on the defensive end. That and the Wiz were due to make some shots. They are going to have a game or two or maybe more in this series when their offense is clicking and this is looking like it is going to be one of them.
–Caron Butler is attacking more off the dribble, which is what he probably should’ve been doing all along against Wally Szczerbiak. The defenders are therefore giving him more space and he’s going to his pull-up game. He’s an excellent player and he’s showing it tonight. I expect LeBron to be on him in the second half for stretches. The reason is because we may have seen the last of Arenas for tonight. He was limping badly on that bad knee and it is obvious that he isn’t right and maybe shouldn’t be playing at all.
–The Wizards’ second unit, especially Antonio Daniels, Roger Mason and Andray Blatche, outplayed the Cavs reserves. Again, it felt like an energy issue. Devin Brown and Anderson Varejao played out of control. Daniels has been effective with dribble penetration especially.

Postgame

Stars
Caron Butler, 14 points, four assists
Roger Mason, 18 points
DeShawn Stevenson, 19 points
LeBron, 22 points, seven rebounds

Quotes
Mike Brown: ” “They were the aggressors, they came out with the right mindset. You have to take care of the ball on the road if you want to win in a hostile environment.”
LeBron: “They caught us off guard at times and made some adjustments that we weren’t ready for. We have to better prepare ourselves mentally.”
Jordan: “We read them the riot act after Game 2 in Cleveland and the next two days we told them out great they were. It is risky this late in the season, but you have to lay it on the table.”

Thanks to reader blog reader Phil who sent me this photo, which is actually on Soulja Boy’s web site. He lives in D.C. and plans to have it on a poster when he goes to Game 3 tomorrow at the Verizon Center. Anyway, you just have to love this whole LeBron/Jay-Z/DeShawn Stevenson/Soulja Boy stuff. It’s all just wild junk but great fodder for us journalists and fans. First off, LeBron likes Soulja Boy and dances to his hit song. And, whether it is just fashion or fandom, Soulja Boy seems like he likes and respects LeBron a little. Even if he told Branson Wright from the Plain Dealer that LeBron disrespected him. Blah, blah, blah. Yes, but a large part of my business and your interest is, indeed, blah, blah, blah.

I just heard from the NBA office. After reviewing the film, NBA discipline czar Stu Jackson will not be taking any further action against Wizards center Brendan Haywood for his flagrant foul on LeBron James Monday night. The Cavs and LeBron were campaigning for Haywood to get suspended for Game 3 on Thursday, which is an option Jackson has after flagrant-2 fouls. It was indeed a “non-basketball” move because Haywood did not attempt to go for the ball when he fouled James as he went down the lane with 6:59 left in the third quarter.

“They have to keep this game clean with as much talk that has gone on back and forth and as much talk from them about how they were going to hit LeBron when he was going to the basket,” Cavs coach Mike Brown said. “From watching the tape and watching the game, there is a difference in going for the block and not going for the block. I didn’t think he tried to make a play on the ball.”

I do not know this for a fact, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Haywood has been warned to avoid any further flagrant fouls against the Cavs. Especially after he was involved in a confrontation with LeBron in Game 1. Maybe the Cavs, who committed a flagrant-1 when Anderson Varejao hammered Andray Blatche in the first half, have been warned, too.

So anyway, Haywood thinks it was Mike Brown who was a bit out of line. He didn’t like how Brown came out on the court in Games 1 and 2 after the LeBron/Haywood tussles. Here is what he told reporters today in Washington:

“That’s just how it is. You know, any time LeBron gets touched, Mike runs out there like LeBron got shot or something. Calm down Mike. It’s not that serious. We’re not trying to take him out. It’s all within the confines of the game. I don’t see how coaches should be running out on the court like that anyway. Isn’t there a coach’s box? Since we’re talking about the confines of the league rules, he shouldn’t be out of the box.”

Cavs 116, Wizards 86

–This was the most complete game the Cavs have played since the trade, which was two months ago today by the way. It may have been the most complete game they have played all season. While the Wizards talk very confidently, I think they are actually playing very tentative while the Cavs have executed their game plan with sharp focus. Gilbert Arenas is limited by his knee, Caron Butler does not look 100 percent, DeShawn Stevenson is not dealing with the extra pressure, and Brendan Haywood has not been the same player since the confrontation with LeBron in Game 1. Eddie Jordan said he did a “horrible job trying to keep our guys in an organized fashion.” Antawn Jamison said as a captain he has done a bad job of “controlling this team.”
–I am not around the Wizards everyday, though I have covered like 26 preseason, regular season and postseason games of theirs over the last three years. But I can’t help to notice that they are not as focused as the Cavs are. At the end of there practices, before the game in the locker room, in pregame warmups, etc. Maybe that is just their style and staying loose is best for them. But the Cavs are a happy-go-lucky team, too but you can tell when it is the playoffs. Then you see how the Wizards play in the playoffs and it is hard not to equate one attitude to another. For example, Stevenson makes a 3-pointer down 19 points and does his face wave thing or whatever. Style above substance, you know? But I could be wrong.
–LeBron was at level 9 tonight in his control of the game. Jordan called him a “monster” after the game not just for the way he played on offense but how he dealt with Arenas on defense and how he was talking out on the court. His 12 assists shows the offense was working well and that the Cavs made shots. That will not happen every game, but running the offense and not dribbling, is important.
–Before the game, another reporter overheard Brendan Haywood saying he wasn’t going to do anything in this series to get suspended because last time that happened (in 2006 when he fought Etan Thomas and was benched by the team) it cost him $60,000. Then he goes out and gets ejected for a flagrant-2 on LeBron. That said, I don’t think he’ll get suspended by the league for that hit because he didn’t LeBron in the head. It was a non-basketball play and that is the definition of a flagrant-2 and the officials made the correct call. But I could be wrong. Anderson Varejao was hit with a flagrant-1 and he hit Andray Blatche in the head but he was going for the ball, not that the Wizards saw it that way. LeBron was surely campaigning for a suspension when he said it was “scary” and it reminded him of when he got undercut as a junior in high school and broke his wrist. Except he was not undercut on this one, though if you watch the replay he was in danger as he fell. My guess is Haywood will be writing a $5,000 check (in addition to the $1,000 for the technical in Game 1) and moving on to Game 3. Then again, the NBA may want to send a message.
–LeBron did do a nice job of keeping himself under control after all the hard fouls. He has been able to not be fazed physically or emotionally. Considering how intense this series has been he deserves credit for that.
–Daniel Gibson has now had two good games in a row. Him getting going would be a huge plus for the Cavs because you know how well he and LeBron feed off each other. Tonight he made a stepback 3 that was a highly athletic move, showing his ankle is feeling good.
–Damon Jones’ “you can’t see me” ode to Stevenson late in the game was his private payback for that game last month. Before he called LeBron “overrated” that night, Stevenson was mocking Damon’s antics after 3-pointers during that game. So that is what that was all about.
–LeBron said he never got personal with comments about Stevenson to Drew Gooden. Who knows? But the fans at Quicken Loans Arena did, tonight there was one sign that read: “DeShawn’s mom is overrated.”
–I know some of you would prefer faster updates, but please remember I write for the Beacon Journal first. My game story from tonight is here and my notes about the new Hack-a-Bron strategy is here.

Recap:

Pregame

Starting lineups

Wizards: Antonio Daniels, DeShawn Stevenson, Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison, Brendan Haywood
Cavs: Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak, LeBron James, Ben Wallace, Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Officials
Dan Crawford, Rodney Mott, Mark Wunderlich

–The Wizards have not made it a secret that they intend to pound the ball to Butler, especially whenever Szczerbiak is guarding him. The Cavs will be bringing double teams with Butler in the post, so expect Stevenson and Jamison to be free on the outside on the backside. They didn’t make any last game, you know about the law of averages.
–Stevenson’s latest comment about LeBron, before this game: “He’s going to cry about calls, that’s what he do.” From the Wizards’ perspective, I can see why he feels this way. Nonetheless, more fodder.
–Get ready for this stat longtime Cavs fans…LeBron has more missed free throws this season including Game 1 (228) than Mark Price had in his entire career (227). Now, my point is not to compare them, my point is LeBron misses a lot of free throws. If the Wizards can’t defend him and they can’t force him to give it up, fouling is the smart way to go. Also, because LeBron had 87 “and-1s” this season, which was second in the NBA, fouling him hard so he can’t finish is also prudent.
–The Cavs say they will be more ready for Gilbert Arenas tonight when he comes in the game. I don’t know how you can ever be ready for that guy with his talent, but Game 1 showed that he is just not as strong or confident driving as he is shooting. Probably because his knee is not right and stopping and pulling up hurts. Look for the Cavs to make him put it on the floor.

Halftime — Cavs 53, Wizards 40

–As of this exact moment, Mike Brown in my opinion is vastly outcoaching Eddie Jordan. Especially with the matchups. The move to put LeBron on Arenas has made it impossible for Gilbert to get anything off from the outside and he cannot move well enough to get past him. Also, at the other end, Mike has constantly found the favorable one-on-one match and sent the ball there be it with LeBron, Ilgauskas or Szczerbiak. He also seems to be figuring out that Joe Smith is the best guy to cover Jamison, although Jamison is playing great and tough for anyone on the Cavs to deal with.
–LeBron’s play in the first half has been exemplary. He has 12 points, five rebounds and six assists and is making almost nothing but smart decisions at both ends. It is very clear that he can get to the basket whenever he wants to but he is mixing it up. He has been looking for Z, who is again executing well, and Wally, who is so far having a good night.
–Caron Butler does not look right to me, he does not have the same athleticism as usual. The Cavs have realized this and are gambling a little bit more. He’s been more active on rebounds but he’s 1-of-8 and his shot from the outside looks flat.
–The Wizards are shooting just 37 percent, which is a reflection of how well the Cavs are playing defense. They are not just missing shots like in Game 1, most are contested. That said, this is a team that can get hot and very hot from the outside. It appears as if Jordan is looking deeper into the bench for offense as he put rookie Nick Young out there at the end of the half. The Cavs, as everybody knows, are not great in the third quarter and the first five minutes of this second half could be huge in the outcome of this game.

Postgame

Stars
LeBron, 30 points, nine rebounds, 12 assists
Ilgauskas, 16 points, nine rebounds
Szczerbiak, 15 points

Quotes
LeBron: “Just the magnitude of the game and the way we approached the game tonight was amazing. Coach Brown put us in a comfortable position and gave us a game plan. We went out and executed.”
Eddie Jordan: “We are playing the (Eastern Conference) champions. I know they changed their team but they still have the same coaching staff and a monster player and he’s taking over the series.”
Jamison: “We didn’t underestimate anybody. I don’t want what was said a month ago to have the effect of how we feel about this team. We know this is a very special team. They didn’t play well in the last month of the regular season but just like any veteran team when the playoffs get started you’re gong to elevate your game and you’re gong to find a way to start playing inspired ball. Let’s be honest. Some guys talked. It’s over with. I’m the captain of this team and we’re going to go out there and play ball. We have alot of respect for this team. We know this team is capable of not only going past the first round but going past that. Once the playoffs started, we didn’t say this is going to be an easy win or an easy series whatsoever. Let’s get that down pat because this is a team that in my eyes can create a lot of problems for a lot of teams.”

Just got back from the Cavs and Wizards shootarounds. Gilbert Arenas had his right wrist wrapped but he didn’t seem to be showing any ill effects from spraining it on Saturday. In fact he was taking bets from teammates while shooting one-handed shots from halfcourt and his routine 30-footers. However, based on what I saw I do not expect him to start.

Wizards coach Eddie Jordan said tonight is the most important game of the series…for the Cavs. Part of the Wizards’ confidence? Well, yes. But he’s not wrong, if the Wiz head home with the series tied 1-1 then they have done their job. They are certainly were still a very loose and confident bunch this morning, it seemed like they were getting ready for a regular season game in January or something.

As for the Cavs, the starting lineup will remain the same with Wally Szczerbiak starting at shooting guard. From what I understand, the Wizards are looking to exploit this matchup and will likely be trying to get Caron Butler going early against Wally.

By the way, tonight’s officials are Dan Crawford, Mark Wunderlich and Rodney Mott. Again, like game one, these are three rock guys. Especially Crawford, he is unwavering as a crew chief. Wunderlich also acts as a crew chief during the regular season and Mott is an unemotional and stonefaced official who is generally no nonsense. I expect both Jordan and Mike Brown to be working then tonight regarding LeBron James.

Cavs 93, Wizards 86

–This was the type of game the Cavs like to play and often win. It was close most of the way and in the fourth quarter it was largely a halfcourt game with lots of bumping and bruising. This is not how every game will go, but some will. Ultimately, the Cavs won because they were at home and they had the best player on the floor. You know, like thousands of playoff games over the years.
–The two baskets LeBron made in the stretch run that basically decided the game were very impressive for a couple of reasons. One, they were started by Daniel Gibson with LeBron coming off a weakside curl screen set by Zydrunas Ilgauskas. By putting LeBron way away from the ball, it makes double teaming and tilting harder. I was all set to give Mike Brown credit for this when after the game he said it was Eric Snow’s idea. Snow, who is already starting his coaching career, brought it up in a coaches meeting earlier this week. At least, that is what we are told. Anyway, it worked. LeBron was just tremendous in that spot, it is a reminder of what all this hype is about. He has proved he can deliver in these times and that value is beyond limits as was proven today.
–Delonte West did an excellent job on Gilbert Arenas late in the game. He really bodied him up, making sure he wanted to drive instead of shoot. Normally this is bad for the Cavs, but because Gilbert’s knee isn’t right it seemed to be an advantage today. Gilbert also said after the game that he was tired late and it did show. The Wizards tried to post him up a few times on West and the Cavs brought double teams, so they were effective defensively.
–Antawn Jamison was tremendous today on the glass with 19 rebounds and really gave it to Ben Wallace, who didn’t play much in the second half. He also had 23 points. But he took and missed lots of open shots, especially in the fourth quarter. The Cavs are going to have to evaluate that matchup, as I said I might try LeBron, because he is getting free on the outside too easy and he will not miss forever. I also thought Caron Butler didn’t look right to me today, he is banged up. Figure both to play better in this series, especially now that the Wizards know the Cavs will be using Wally Szczerbiak on him.
–I said all I needed to say at halftime about LeBron’s antics. The Wizards admitted after the game they were trying to rough him up and it is understood that he’ll want to go back at them. As for the talking — and he did that DeShawn Stevenson hand/face thing or whatever — that is not needed. But he did play tough and there is something to be said for that.
–Zydrunas Ilgauskas was tremendous, especially early in the fourth quarter when LeBron was resting and he led an 8-1 run to get the lead. As for Anderson Varejao, though, someone must speak to him. He rebounded great today and had some good defensive plays, what he is supposed to do. But stop trying to make moves on offense. If he has an open jumper, then fine. If Mike Brown would’ve gone through with my idea from a month ago to fine him for each dribble he takes then you may have driven this out of him by now.
–After the game, both Arenas and DeShawn Stevenson kept their mouths shut. Do not expect that to continue but do expect this to be a very long series with lots of ups and downs for both sides.

Pregame

Starting lineups
Wizards: Antonio Daniels, DeShawn Stevenson, Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison, Brendan Haywood
Cavs: Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak, LeBron James, Ben Wallace, Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Officials
Bob Delaney, Scott Foster, David Jones — This is a very, very strong crew. All three of them act at chiefs during regular season games. Foster and Delaney are no nonsense and are not afraid to set a tone and hit guys with technicals

–LeBron James reaction before the game on his back: “I am ready to play.”
–It is so appropriate that the Cavs are going to use a brand new starting lineup for this game, really sums up the season. It is No. 22 in 83 games and the fifth different lineup they have shown the Wizards. My guess is Wally will get plenty of chances early but if he doesn’t play well he won’t t see time in the second half.
–Mike Brown said several players will rotate on Gilbert Arenas, I think it will be more interesting on who defends Jamison. I believe the Cavs would do very well in this series playing LeBron for stretches at power forward, which would force some match advantages for the Cavs.
–Z is a key play on offense for the Cavs. Haywood has improved, especially on defense. But the Cavs play much better when Z is an option.
–Wallace has brought out the ‘fro for the first time as a Cav. LeBron said the plan all along was to save it for the playoffs.
–Eddie Jordan said the plan is for Arenas to get 25 minutes or so, but if it is close I don’t see him sitting much. Also, Butler has been bothered by a knee injury so we’ll see how effective he is. Knowing them both, I expect them to play hard and play well.
–All the trash talk is a great story line for the media and I have enjoyed writing about it. But we have known these two teams don’t like each other for years, the talk is nothing new. I expect this series to be a long series and the talk will be long forgotten 10 days from now when Games 5 and 6 roll around.

Halftime — Cavs 46, Wizards 46

–Playoff basketball has started. The Cavs and Wizards have been at each other’s throats the entire half. In my opinion, LeBron has been way too involved. He needs to cool down, he is the guy who says he doesn’t need trash talk but he’s been more active than anyone. After getting whacked twice in a row by Andray Blatche, LeBron hit him with an elbow after a foul in a play that I think may be turned into a flagrant foul by the NBA after this game. Then at the end of the half he got a technical foul for jumping up and into Brendan Haywood after he stood over him after an offensive foul. At the end of the half, LeBron also said something to DeShawn Stevenson as he walking off the floor. I believe Antawn Jamison and Z got into it as well. My point is, I just mentioned LeBron way too many times. He is the leader, but he’s got to preach control, that is the way the Cavs play.
–I was watching closely during the scrap at the end of the half, both coaching staffs built walls so that no one came off the bench, which is an automatic suspension. Also, you’ll notice that Ben Wallace was the first guy to come to LeBron’s side during the tussle, other than Mike Brown. I believe you will see more of this in this series.
–As for the half, Gilbert Arenas made a giant impact on the game. He hit four 3-pointers and the Wiz went on an 18-4 run when he came in the game. But overall, the Wiz ran hot and cold on offense. They were at their best when they were running plays to get shots inside for Jamison and Haywood. Otherwise, they took lots of jumpers and they are going to run hot and cold on that front, sometimes they look great and other times they’ll let a team come back from 11 down, as they did.
–For the most part, I thought the Cavs offense was terrible early on. Way too much LeBron on the outside and they shot just 20 percent and had just four points in the paint in the first quarter. They were much better in the second, running some plays for Z (14 points) and for LeBron to get to the hoop. Also, they only have three turnovers, which has been huge to keep the Wizards out of fastbreaks. Still, they have shot just 36 percent and the game is tied.
–Wallace is playing hard and he’s made some good plays, but Jamison is swallowing him up on the glass. He beat him numerous times, also Wallace has not ventured out much to cover him on 3-pointers. This has got to be tightened up.
–Wally Szczerbiak had a strong half, he missed a few open shots but he battled Caron Butler at the defensive end and he made a few baskets and drove strong to the hoop.
–The rebounding was even in the half, that could be huge in the second, especially at the defensive end.
–Haywood, Jamison, and LeBron all have technicals, one more and they’ll be one. May be some baiting going on from both sides. Especially watch Haywood and Z.
–Oh, and buckle up for this finish…and this series.

Postgame

Stars
LeBron, 32 points
Z, 22 points, 11 rebounds
Arenas, 24 points
Jamison, 23 points, 19 rebounds

Quotes
LeBron: “I didn’t get rattled, emotions ran over just a little bit. My play speaks louder than me going out there and pushing somebody and talking trash…We’re not the type of team that talks, but we’re not going to back down either…I was built for this, I am not 6-9, 260 pounds to shoot jumpers all night. I go to the hole, I create contact. Don’t ever think I’m the only one what feels that contact.”
Mike Brown: “He can’t go in there and get hit across the face and not protect himself. He’s got to go in there with attitude…I thought our guys did a nice job of keeping their composure and poise.It was a tough, physical game.”
Arenas: “With a play like LeBron made, he’s hard to stop. There’s really no answer for him. It’s still Game 1 and you have to feel out your opponent.”
Stevenson: “I said what I said. There’s no reason for us to keep talking. The series has already started. They won the first game, we still feel confident and we have to go out there and prove it.”

The best preview material I can give you about the Cavs and Wizards series is up on Ohio.com. There is a detailed breakdown of the teams and each starter from a high-level NBA scout and my five keys to win the series for both teams.

Today LeBron responded, once and for all I got the impression, to DeShawn Stevenson. First, he said he doesn’t need the trash to motivate him. Second, his disputed Stevenson’s remarks about a personal attack. With Drew Gooden being the mole. And by the way, I don’t think LeBron is thrilled with Drew right now, he came to the locker room last week in Chicago and I did not see them make eye contact.

Here are the quotes:

“My response is I’ll be ready to play tomorrow. I motivate myself, I don’t need opponents to motivate me. I am going to go out there and play the way I do every night. I don’t need help.”

“I never said anything personal about him, nothing about his family or anything that would tick somebody off like that. I don’t know what was said to him, I’ve never said anything personal about anybody. Now, did I say something about his basketball game? Maybe. About him personally, I don’t go that far.”

“We don’t have guys that talk, you’re not going to see Z talking trash out there. It being Washington, them disrespecting our team we’ll see what happens. Game is tomorrow, we’ll see what happens.”