It would be nice at this point to state that we all know what the Cavs will do in Game 4. But we don’t. This is pretty much what happens when a team goes from the highest to the lowest in the course of two games, and that’s what the Cavs did from Game 2 to Game 3 against Washington. So what team will show up Sunday? Who knows? But there is one thing we do know, and that is that LeBron James hates losing, and he also hates when he doesn’t play all that well. Both happened in Game 3. So the one thing that seems the safest bet of all related to today’s game is that James will show up, and show up big. If he does not have a huge game, it will be surprising.

There’s a funky coffee shop called Soho Coffee just off Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C.., that advertises its chicken salad as the world’s best. That’s a lofty claim, considering how much chicken salad is produced world-wide on a daily basis. This world’s best claim cried out to be sampled. And the claim may be correct.

A woman in this coffee shop was reading a book called Pathological Basis of Disease. Lot of IQ points in this coffee shop.

A young boy held up a homemade sign at the Verizon Center Thursday that read “LeBron sucks.” James saw it and walked over and asked: “You don’t even believe that, do you?”

James continues to downplay the crowd chanting over-rated at him. I believe him. As he says: “They wouldn’t say anything to somebody they didn’t feel threatened by.”

Washington folks really thought their crowd was loud and rowdy Thursday night. Maybe for them it was. Big names seen courtside: Tim Russert, Colin Powell and, of course, Soulja Boy. Whatever.

DeShawn Stevenson had this to say about James’ comment that “there’s no LeBron-DeShawn rivalry”: “He was stealing my move in Cleveland so obviously he's worried about us and what we're doing over here. But the only thing we're going to do is go out there and play basketball." Stealing his move? Just play basketball? The more this guy talks the funnier he sounds. Think about it. When a guy needs a “move” to highlight what he’s doing, he’s really not doing much. That’s because the truly great and good players are noticed for what they do in the game, not for the garbage they contribute outside of the competition.

Speaking of Stevenson … bet you’re sorry you missed this soirée. Dress to impress.

Those of us with Irish ancestors had our hearts broken when we read this story about the decline of the small pub in Ireland. When there’s no place to get one of these in Ireland its’ time to take a step back and re-arrange the priorities in life.

Ever wonder why they only make gummy bears and not gummy Thomas Jeffersons or gummy Lincoln Memorials to sell in Washington? Gummy Washington monuments. Gummy White Houses. Seems like it’d work. These are the things that cross a person’s mind in a coffee shop in Washington while the future Nobel Prize winner next to you is reading about the pathology of disease.

Shaq sure has made all the difference for Phoenix against San Antonio, eh?

Amazing how those hard fouls are not even talked about anymore, isn’t it?

Speaking of hard fouls, I stumbled across this one on YouTube the other day. Recognize the curly-haired guy? (Cut me a break if you’ve seen it; blogging is new and I’m still working on a typewriter.)

LeBron James had some interesting reactions to a couple of questions after Game 3. Check out the story here.

Well there's something to be said for just getting obliterated. As one of my colleagues in the media said, "No angst over that one."

The Cavs stunk up the joint in losing by a franchise-record 36 Thursday night. They really, really stunk up the joint.

Now it's up to LeBron James to do something about it on Sunday. Because if the Cavs win on Sunday they'll have a chance to close it out at home.

Why a team would play like it did with a chance to go up 3-0 in a playoff series ranks up there with putting instructions on shampoo bottles. Just no logic to it.

Here we are in Washington, D.C., and no matter how many times a person visits — or even lives here (which I did in a previous life) — there's always something special about arriving and seeing the monuments and the neighborhoods and the centers of government. Great town. With a great subway system (the Metro). There's something about a city that has a great subway system … kind of makes it more civilized. Not that the Metro is the RTA, mind you.

Of course, the Metro ought to be good. We all paid for it with our tax dollars.

At any rate, the Verizon Center folks are handing out white T-shirts. They want a "white-out" in the arena. With all respect, these folks really haven't lived a white-out until they've been in our parts in January or February.

Hot rumor making the rounds — and it's posted on the Washington Post site — is that Gilbert Arenas will start and not be the sixth man. This will push Antonio Daniels to a substitute role, but it raises questions. Will Arenas have his minutes extended? He has been limited as he comes back from a knee injury. What is the thinking? Instant offense? A fast start? Get the crowd excited right away? Is he uncomfortable coming off the bench?

To me, it sounds a bit desperate. But then again, we're not even totally sure it's true. The answer will come when starting lineups are announced.

I saw it live and didn't quite believe it. It's still amazing the second and third time.

Some random thoughts with the Cavs in the air heading to Washington for Game 3 –

–Cavs have a longer trip than one might think. They had to fly into Dulles, not National. Some post 9-11 security thing about private planes, I presume.
That means busing from Dulles to the team hotel in our nation’s capital. Said town is a great town, but driving is a nightmare. Picture your typical 20-minute drive here. That drive would take 100 minutes in D.C. The conversion rule for driving in Washington, D.C., is pretty simple: Quadruple the time you expect a drive to take, then add 20. Standard formula.

–First Roc Boys reference of my career. For those keeping score. James was asked if he had his Soulja Boy dance ready, something he apparently did in Cleveland one time. He said no, he’d have his Roc Boys dance ready. Soulja Boy is the hip hop singer James compared to DeShawn Stevenson. Roc Boys is the new song by James’ friend Jay Z. Soulja Boy apparently took offense to James’ slight, and he may attend the game as a guest of Stevenson. Oh to be invited to a game by that guy, eh?

–James spoke to the media with his typical maturity. Said he’d be ready for hard fouls. Wouldn’t say if he thought the Wizards’ physical style had hampered their play. And he said that the key to the first two games was the Cavs defense: “Guys understand that defensively when we are in tune we are very good.”

–The Wizards have to believe that Caron Butler will eventually get the better of Wally Szczerbiak. James said Wednesday that Szczerbiak has done a good job of staying in front of Butler. Butler is an All-Star and he’s made nine shots in the series (in 23 attempts). This struggle seems to indicate Butler is still slowed by a bum hip; Szczerbiak has never been known for his defense.

–Wouldn’t be surprised if it turns out Butler (hip) and Gilbert Arenas (wrist, knee) are both hurting more than they’ve let on. This is why the Cavs have adopted their “no excuses” attitude. It’s the playoffs, and if someone is hurting the other team will not and should not feel any sympathy.

–Charley Rosen of Fox Sports points out that even though the Wizards were out to foul him, James made five-of-six layups without being touched. Rosen also wrote that Szczerbiak was “routinely chumped on defense.”

–The Guardian in London wrote this story about Lebron James.

–Mike Brown was going to give the Cavs Monday off, but talked to his leaders – James and Z. He asked if he thought they should have the day off. They said, “We need to come in.” So the Cavs practiced at noon. “That was because the players wanted to,” Brown said.

–Wrote Tom Knott of the Washington Times regarding the hard fouls of James: “The NBA is inclined to indulge James because of his marketing power.”

–Said Mike Brown of Brendan Haywood criticizing him for being overprotective of James: “Brendan, I like him. He can say what he wants about me.”

–What happens in Game 3? If the Wizards don’t try to change their approach, I say the Cavs sweep. James is too determined, too good, too talented to let that kind of play affect him. Hard fouls … fine. Cheap fouls … takes Washington out of their game. If Washington plays their style, though, the game goes to the wire.

For more on this series, check out what my esteemed colleague Brian Windhorst has to say on his Cleveland Cavaliers blog.

Returned from the Cavs practice facility a bit ago, and LeBron James said he thought Brendan Haywood would be suspended for shoving him in Game 2 (Haywood was not suspended). James said nothing the Cavs have done in the playoff series against Washington compares to what Haywood did to him. Clearly, James thought that was waaaay beyond the pale in terms of acceptility.

Also, James was asked if Haywood had apologized to him, which Haywood claimed. James' response? A terse "no."

Clearly that foul was uncalled for, but the Cavs haven't been innocent bystanders in this series. They've given their share of hard fouls too. I'm writing about that for Thusday's Beacon-Journal.

That was a pasting. No other way to put it. Well, there are a few more ways to put it. A drubbing. A rout. An embarrassment – for the Washington Wizards.

Your Cleveland Cavaliers played a sound, smart game, stayed above the junk and had Washington dragging itself out of town for Game 3.

LeBron James led the way, and at this point it looks like the Wizards are wondering what they have to do to beat James and the Cavs. Monday night makes eight games in a row the Cavs have defeated Washington. In this playoff series, the Cavs won a close one, and they won a rout as the Wizards fell apart and lost their composure.

Much will be made of the Wizards’ poor efforts, and the flagrant foul on Brendan Haywood that led to Haywood’s ejection. TV announcers said it was the kind of play that can end a career, and they were right. James said the play was “scary.” The referees rightly threw Haywood out – and did so after reviewing the play.

But the Cavs offense was outstanding. Cleveland moved the ball, had Z and Ben Wallace driving the baseline and passing and shot 10-for-19 from three-point range.

As good as the offense was, the defense was better – and the game swung Cleveland’s way in the second quarter when James guarded Gilbert Arenas and frustrated him to no end. Caron Butler may be playing hurt, but he’s not playing successfully. And Antawn Jamison seemed flustered when Joe Smith started covering him. Smart moves by Mike Brown – a guy who did a lot right in this game, from the offensive calls to the defensive matchups to just making sure his team kept its composure.

Playoff series are not over after two games, though, so the Cavs cannot coast after this one. Washington will play better in their arena, and the Cavs won’t have as much go right in D.C.

Too, the crowd will be hostile.

But the Cavs have effectively answered Washington’s Game 1 physical-play statement with a statement of their own. That statement equaled a 30-point win, the biggest playoff win in franchise history. Is there a stronger statement a team can make?

One note: To the Wizards’ credit, they did not blame the referees or the officiating. In fact, the opposite was true. They said they had to stop worrying about the officiating. At game’s end, 28 fouls were called on Washington, 25 on the Cavs.

Some quotes, especially from Antawn Jamison of Washington, who was most candid and impressive:

“I don’t want what was said a month ago to have the effect of, ‘This is how we view this team.’ We know this is a very special team, and like any veteran team they elevate their game for the playoffs. They have started to play inspired basketball. So let’s be honest, some guys talked, but it’s over with. We have a lot of respect for this team, and we know that they are capable of going past the first round and more. Once the playoffs started, we didn’t say this was going to be an easy series whatsoever.”

More Jamison:

“This is playoff basketball and it’s played differently than in the regular season. We know LeBron is a special talent and he draws a lot of attention. My hat goes off to him and his group, but when we get on our home court we expect things to be different. That’s the game of basketball and it has to be played more physically. That means he can’t have any easy layups, but it also doesn’t mean that every time he comes down the lane he’s getting hit.”

Wizards coach Eddie Jordan:

“We are playing the (East) champions and I know they changed their team but they still have the same coaching and in a respectful way, the monster player. And he’s taking over the series.”

Cavs coach Mike Brown:

“Tonight our guys did a nice job of trying to keep their composure. It’s going to be huge for us throughout the playoffs because we’re going to face adversity at different times and we have to make sure that we stay level-headed and we stay composed no matter what we face out on that floor.”

James on the foul that led to Brendan Haywood being ejected:

“It was scary, honestly. That’s the only thing I could think of when I was in the air was hopefully I can get one foot under me so I can break my fall. I knew it was going to be a tough fall. … It was definitely not a basketball play in any way, shape or form.”

Gilbert Arenas on the physical nature of the first two games:

“The fouls they’re calling out there are like golf compared to what the ‘Bad Boys’ (of Detroit) used to do to Michael (Jordan) and each other. So if it is getting out of hand, I must have been blind when I used to watch basketball.”

Will LeBron James need special protection tonight when the Cavs play the Wizards?

Maybe.

Consider these statements from the Wizards in Monday's Washington Post. The first is from Andray Blatche, about the elbow that James threw to his jaw in Game 1.

"Yeah, he got me, but I didn't really have a problem with it," Blatche said. "I fouled him twice pretty hard so I expected it. Just basketball."

And this from Brendan Haywood about the mid-court altercation that started when Haywood knocked James to the ground, then stood over him, James said, "in a disrespectful manner."

"It was nothing really," Haywood said. "I set a blind screen and I thought he flopped on it. I went to talk to (the official) about it; James took offense that I was standing over him. At that point in the game, he's not going to get up and do anything. What's he gonna do? Throw a punch? Get thrown out of the game? Shoot, I would've been the MVP like Robert Horry if I got him to do that.

"He should just chill out, play ball. It's going to be a rough-and-tough series. He's going to get fouled if he comes to the basket, but no one's trying to hurt him."

Said Caron Butler: "We're going to give good, clean, hard fouls at the rim, when guys get in the paint. We're not trying to give up [three-point plays], you know, make them earn it at the foul line and try to be aggressive at both ends as much as possible."

Clearly, the Wizards' game plan is to continue to be physical when James drives. To knock him down when he gets near the basket. It was for this reason that Cavs coach Mike Brown talked about it yesterday. He wants the officials aware. This is playoff basketball, as Joe Smith said, so it shouldn't be surprising. James just has to be ready to deal with it. And winning the game pretty much deals with it in the best way possible.

On a separate topic, remember when Delonte West stole a Washington inbounds pass late in the Game 1 win and officials ruled it a jump-ball? Well, apparently this is what happend. One official thought West crossed the inbounds line to steal the pass. He didn't of course, so instead of giving the Cavs a technical (the result of crossing the inbounds line), they ruled both players crossed over the line and made it a jump. My guess is this was their way of fixing a mistake.

Game time is at 7. And Gilbert Arenas showed no problems in the morning shootaround. Arenas missed Sunday's practice with a sore right wrist. I repeat a thought from yesterday: If the Cavs think Agent Zero and Antawn Jamison are going to keep missing shots in the fourth quarter they also believe in the tooth fairy. Those two guys are too good to keep missing.

This Washington Post writer was not very kind to the Cavs. Kind of reflects the national image of the home team.

Tell me, when exactly did the Cavs turn into the Washington Generals?

And this columnist from the Washington Times seems less enamored with LeBron James than we are. Wants him suspended for the next game because of that elbow he threw at Andray Blatche. My esteemed colleauge from the Beacon Journal, Brian Windhorst, tells me that this writer has never really been too high on James. Appears not.

That elbow James threw was pretty blatant, though. If you don't think so take a look at the seventh picture here. Arms don't usually go up that way by accident. It will be interesting to see if the league takes some money from James' pocket for this.

That being said, I still think it was necessary for James — or someone — to do something like this. The Cavs could not allow James to be pushed around, or knocked down, without standing up and doing something. James did.

By the way, late in Game 1 Delonte West stole an inbounds pass and for some reason the refs called it a jump ball. I asked West what that ruling was, and he said he had no idea. "I was just trying to play until it was all zeroes on the clock," he said.

Apparently in the NBA these days when a guy steals an inbounds pass it's not fair.