Monday Night Playoff Games Preview

Washington at Cleveland, 7:00 pm ET -- The AP reports: LeBron James endured a physical pounding in Cleveland’s 93-86 win in the series opener, an intense game that at times resembled a rugged version of two-handed backyard touch football. Beginning with a shot across the face from Andray Blatche—a blow he later retaliated by throwing an elbow into the forward’s chin—James was a marked man. The Wizards hacked and whacked him... Sunday was spent working on adjustments as the teams prepared for Monday’s Game 2. Before hitting the practice floor, the Wizards lamented missing open shots down the stretch. They carried a four-point lead into the fourth quarter but then went 4-of-20 in the period and misfired on 10 straight shots in the final 4:38... Gilbert Arenas didn’t practice Sunday because of a sprained right wrist, but he’s expected to play in Game 2...

Utah at Houston, 9:30 PM ET -- The AP reports: Without Yao Ming, Carlos Boozer had 20 points and 16 rebounds and the Jazz scored 50 points in the paint. And without Yao anchoring the offense, the Rockets seemed out of sync and tentative. They shot 37 percent, including several misses from close range... The scoring burden now falls on Tracy McGrady, and he couldn’t handle it Saturday. He scored 20 points, but none in the fourth quarter, when he was double-teamed. He finished 7-for-21 from the field and 1-of-5 from 3-point range... Point guard Bobby Jackson added to the Rockets’ struggles, going 3-for-15 from the field. Jackson is filling in for Rafer Alston, who strained his right hamstring April 13. Alston will sit out Game 2, but said Sunday he was aiming to return for Game 3 in Utah on Thursday... If the Jazz need to do one thing better on Monday night, Carlos Boozer points to offensive rebounds. The Rockets grabbed 18 and scored 23 second-chance points, while the Jazz had only 13 offensive boards and 14 second-chance points.

0 comments: