Cleveland Cavaliers vs Washington Wizards - Game 1 Post Sat, 4/19 12:30pm ESPN

[kapsi1911]

Originally Posted by Mez 0ne

Nobody said Lebron was over-rated, anyone who says so is a ******.

They just dislike the media slurp fest, but it comes with the territory.

+10

 

[703flipfiend]

I'm mad this game is so damn early. 12:30! I won't even be up then haha.

 

[kdwallace]

^ I'm loving it - I can see the game at a reasonable time - although 2:30 would be slightly better as the kids would be going to bed.

The next game I see will be game 4 at 1pm on Sunday.

I'm just glad I don't follow a West Coast team - would be watching them at like 4-6am.

 

[703flipfiend]

^Do you work in the evenings on weekdays? That's a blower, man. I don't know what I'd do if I missed that much basketball action. By going to bed,I'm assuming naptime? Haha. I was so confused at first.

 

[TheGift23]

I'm pretty sure KD lives in another country.

 

[703flipfiend]

Ohhhhh... makes sense now.

 

[kdwallace]

Yeah, I'm 5 hours ahead - so even a 7pm game makes it finish pretty late - I stay up when they're important but I can't be doing it 2 or 3 times aweek.

 

[jdb1523]

^Where do you live man? And do they have coverage of all the NBA Playoff games or just some of them?

 

[INTLplayers]

a little over 24 hours left.. this is killing me!

 

[mustbetheshoe58]

^^^ same here..i cant wait!!!

got tickets to game 3 next thursday..they want everyone at the verizon center to wear white..i dunno bout if i'll do that

go wizards!!!!

 

[INTLplayers]

^you got to mustbe

, the whole 'white out' is being advertisedeverywhere in the district.. where are your seats by the way?

 

[c1o27]

I haven't been to a playoff game since the Bulls series..

..I need tickets hah

I also do not like the time of game 1..

 

[kdwallace]

^Where do you live man? And do they have coverage of all the NBA Playoff games or just some of them?


Scotland. And there's basically zero coverage. I have an NBA league pass which lets you watch them overseas now - and it's great quality. I used toonly get the audio but now they do the TV too.

You can get some games on cable - but not with the package I have.

 

[S4L]

I wouldn't be surprised if the Wizards get swept....

 

[c1o27]

Originally Posted by S4L3

I wouldn't be surprised if the Wizards get swept....

Sadly, I agree with you.. c'mon Wizards! no more talk, just play.

 

[INTLplayers]

Originally Posted by c1o27

I haven't been to a playoff game since the Bulls series..

..I need tickets hah

I also do not like the time of game 1..

if it's a lengthy series, i'm definitely getting game 6 tickets, what about you carlo?

[h1][/h1]

[h1]Round 3 To Wizards[/h1]By Michael Wilbon
Friday, April 18, 2008; Page E01
The Boston Celtics may have the best record in the NBA and may prove over the next two months to be the league's best team. The Detroit Pistons might have the talent and the depth to add a championship ring to the one they won four years ago. But there's only one story line with sizzle in the first round of the Eastern Conference and it involves neither the Celtics nor Pistons.

The series to watch, and listen to, is Washington vs. Cleveland, which already has name-calling and trash-talking -- and it hasn't even begun. And if that weren't enough, the most charismatic figure in the game today, NBA analyst Charles Barkley, has called the Wizards "the dumbest team in the history of civilization" for calling out LeBron James.

In short, the Wizards and Cavaliers have become two teams that plain don't like each other . . . and seem on the verge of detesting each other. The Cavaliers are tired of Gilbert Arenas and now DeShawn Stevenson. The Wizards (at least one of 'em) think James is overrated. The Cavaliers took the Wizards' lunch money in an entertaining six-game series two years ago, making Agent Zero in particular look like he couldn't take the heat when he missed free throws at the end of Game 6. Last year, the Cavaliers took advantage of a Wizards team depleted by injuries on the way to the NBA Finals.

So here we are, on the eve of a third consecutive playoff meeting, and the fairly healthy Wizards are bent on vengeance and confident they'll get it. A week ago, Arenas said: "I think everybody wants Cleveland in that first round. They've been a .500 team since they made that trade and everybody wants a chance at that matchup . . ." Truth is, Arenas said what every player in the Eastern Conference believes. The Cavaliers are 15 -13 since trading Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden and acquiring Ben Wallace, Joe Smith, Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West. In addition, Daniel Gibson and Zydrunas Ilgauskas have been injured, and now Sasha Pavlovic is going to miss the series with a sprained ankle. Back spasms have been killing Wallace, who hasn't had a double-digit rebound game since March 16 and whose point totals for his last eight games are 5, 4, 2, 0, 1, 1, 6 and 0. And back spasms seem to be contagious, since James has had them recently as well.

The Cavaliers have had no prolonged stretch when they've played like the team that beat the Pistons in the conference finals last season to reach the NBA Finals.

Arenas was just as honest when he said, "We want Cleveland for our own reasons. We don't think they can beat us in the playoffs three straight years. It's hard to beat a team three straight. We want to try our luck."

Again, Arenas ought to feel that way, and so should every one of his teammates. James embarrassed them two years ago, winning three of the four games in that series virtually by himself. The Wizards are a better team than they were two years ago, more experienced. They ought to want Cleveland in the same way the Suns should want the Spurs.

Of course, that's not why Barkley called the Wizards "dumb." He called 'em dumb because they said what was on their minds so openly, so brazenly, appearing in the process to disrespect James. And it's not like the Wizards have any postseason pedigree. They're not the Pistons. And it's not like James is Tracy McGrady and hasn't been out of the first round. He carried a team on his back to the NBA Finals last season.

I understand why, at the end of a game and in the heat of the moment after stopping James on a game-winning shot attempt, Stevenson called him "overrated." Happens all the time and in every sport. Sometimes it's a whisper, sometimes it's a shout. Stevenson has been feeling good about his defense, particularly on some of the game's stars he's asked to guard night after night.

But . . .

There's nothing overrated about James. Nothing. And the greatest players (see M. Jordan) take great umbrage at these slights, real or perceived. James didn't get to be who he is by backing down from a challenge.

Barkley thinks rattling James before a series is plain dumb, and there are plenty of players who would agree with him.

Stevenson shot back on Wednesday that Barkley should "chill out and worry about other things. Don't worry about the Washington Wizards. . . . Are we really going to listen to a guy who said Yao Ming would not be an all-star in this league? . . . So who cares what he has to say?"

Nobody will care if the Wizards win. And they ought to. Forget the seeding (Cavs are 4, Wizards 5) and Cleveland's home-court advantage. The Wizards should feel as good as they apparently do about their chances.

Yes, one great player can disproportionately affect the outcome of a playoff series in basketball. James did it last year against Detroit. Thing is, the Wizards have three players who are recent or current all-stars: Arenas, Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler. Stevenson has been a very nice role player all season, as has Antonio Daniels. The bench is deep enough with Darius Songaila and Andray Blatche and Roger Mason Jr. Brendan Haywood appears up to the task of negating whatever contribution Ilgauskas makes.

And while Arenas has been blogging and Stevenson has been talking, the fact is the Wizards otherwise simply are not a mouthy team. Butler, Jamison and Daniels are anything but -- meaning it's unlikely the whole team is wildly distracted by Arenas and Stevenson. It didn't seem like Coach Eddie Jordan was anything more than mildly annoyed when he said, " . . . Let's toss it up and see if you can walk the walk like you talk the talk."

It's a very wisely crafted sentence the coach aimed at Arenas and Stevenson, a more diplomatic way of saying: "Put up or shut up."

As great as James is, there's every reason, presuming relative health (particularly Butler's), that the Wizards should win this series. Barkley's probably going to call me dumb, too, but from here the Wizards look to have the better team, and what's just as important is they're playing better at the right time. If the Wizards allow James and a team of players he's barely familiar with to tap dance all over their heads again, then they'll have to stop blogging and talking long enough, however painful it would be, to tip their hats in the direction of Mr. James -- and Mr. Barkley.

 

[c1o27]

If I have the dough I'll go..

pretty good article from Wilbon

 

[barondavis5]

this is gonna be the best game tomorrow, cant wait. hell im actually gonna wake up early to watch it.

 

[outacontrol music]

ESPN Radio was talking about how Gil and Deshawn have been talking in an effort to mask their insecurities.


DeShawn was HORRIBLE vs the Cavs last year in the postseason and Gil aint gotten over the two missed FTs.

I can see it. If you KNOW you got game and are the better team why not let your game do the talking??



Cavs are built for the postseason. STRONG defense, a superstar offensive player and a solid center.


Ilgauskas FTW

 

[jamespiritu]

Originally Posted by mustbetheshoe58

^^^ same here..i cant wait!!!

they want everyone at the verizon center to wear white

go wizards!!!!

watching game 4 live... will be wearing a white tee --a white WITNESS tee...

 

[dman14]

Originally Posted by BaronDavis5

this is gonna be the best game tomorrow, cant wait. hell im actually gonna wake up early to watch it.

me too, but 9am for a game is still very early out on the west coast

 

[mustbetheshoe58]

DeShawn was HORRIBLE vs the Cavs last year in the postseason and Gil aint gotten over the two missed FTs.
welcome to 2008 playoffs buddy..everyone starts brand new in the playoffs, can't dwell on the past

let's get it todd

 

[outacontrol music]

can't dwell on the past

How ironic

 

[jamespiritu]

outacontrol music , do you have a bigger picture of your avatar? i'm gonna bring a printout of that one and hand it to arenas on game 4, "can you signthis for me?"

 

[703flipfiend]

Carlo, ya'll got a CO tomorrow? We got one, so I'mma miss the game. I'm real tight right now SMH. I hope CSN replays it in the wee hours of Sundaymorning.