Big Time Sports
Washington vs. Cleveland
This is the third straight year the Wizards and Cavs will meet in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Cleveland holds a 8-2 advantage in their post season clashes, and looks to send Washington to an early exit once again.
These clubs finished with near identical records, with Cleveland tallying a 45-37 mark, while Washington finished with a 43-39 slate. Each team was 18-23 on the road. For Washington to break through and advance to the next round, they'll need Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler to stay healthy and fill the basket with consistent regularity. Both players have declared themselves fit and ready for this series. Antawn Jamison did the bulk of the scoring in the regular season, and he'll be called upon to deliver 20 & 10 here in the playoffs. Brendan Haywood is a bit overlooked, but is a solid contributor, especially on the boards. Shooting guard DeShawn Stevenson has agitated Cleveland's LeBron James, calling him "overrated", and that could be a bad thing for this Washington outfit. Strange comment considering James led the NBA in scoring this season with 30 ppg.
But King James can't do it alone in this series, and he and his teammates and coaches realize that. Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Wally Szczerbiak have to shoulder some of the scoring burden while giving a solid effort on defense. Daniel Gibson needs to deliver quality minutes despite a lingering ankle issue. Joe Smith and Delonte West must become integral parts of this unit if the Cavs are going to advance. Ben Wallace remains an enigma, and Sasha Pavlovic will miss this series with an injury.
Although Cleveland appears to be confident, and is determined to return to the finals, this Washington team is very capable of taking this series. The Cavs earned home court advantage, and that could be the difference, but look for the Wizards to push them much harder than in previous post seasons. In fact, I'll call for Washington to steal this series, as these clubs reverse roles from the last two first round matchups they've had.
Washington Series
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