One game away
Other than letting his friend, rapper and New Jersey Nets minority owner Jay-Z, make a disrespectful song directed at DeShawn Stevenson, LeBron James hasn't engaged in much trash talk with the Washington Wizards during this best-of-seven series.His only comment that could be interpreted as bulletin board material came after his Cleveland Cavaliers took a 3-1 lead on Sunday. James was asked if the Wizards had any chance of coming back to win, and he answered, "No."
The Cavaliers are one victory from ending the Wizards' season for the third year in a row with Game 5 set for 6 p.m. Wednesday at Quicken Loans Arena. James, who is averaging 29.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists this series, is confident that it is not a matter of if but when Cleveland will eliminate the Wizards.
"It has nothing to do with the Wizards. They are a good team, but they've got to beat us three straight games, and I don't see that happening," James said on Tuesday. "I'm held accountable for our team's actions and I'm going to make sure our team maintains focus throughout this next game, and if it has to go beyond that. But I just don't see it happening."
James is 4-3 when the Cavs could close out an opponent the past two seasons, but he has never hesitated to eliminate the Wizards at the first opportunity, winning both times at Verizon Center. Two years ago, James tapped Gilbert Arenas on the foul line and told him he was going home if he missed the free throws. Arenas missed both and Damon Jones hit the game-winning jumper with 4.8 seconds left of a 114-113 overtime victory. Last year, James let Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Larry Hughes score 18 of the Cavaliers' final 20 points in a 97-90 victory.
The Cavaliers have some extra incentive to finish off Washington on Wednesday, with the winner of this series getting the winner of the Atlanta Hawks-Boston Celtics series, which is tied 2-2. "We have one more game to try to close these guys out and if not, get ready for a Game 6," James said. "We have to take care of our business and not worry about who's next after that."
The last time the Cavaliers held a 3-1 lead in the playoffs, they went home to Cleveland a year ago and had their worst postseason performance at Quicken Loans Arena in the James era, as the Nets beat them, 83-72.
James said he also wouldn't let the Wizards distract him with words or hard fouls. He nearly lost control of his temper in Game 1, when he was initially thrown off by the Wizards' physical play. He reacted to Andray Blatche slapping him in the mouth on a drive by popping Blatche with an elbow to the chin the next time they crossed paths. Although he wasn't penalized during the game, the league office assessed him with a flagrant-one foul before the next game.
Since then, James has kept his cool, even as the Wizards continued to knock him to the ground. Wizards center Brendan Haywood was ejected in Game 2 after sending him soaring into the photographers along the baseline. Haywood also mocked James for complaining about the physical contact and suggesting that Wizards are trying to hurt him.
"It happens in playground basketball, but it usually stops after the first hit because it can get really serious," James said. "It's part of basketball, I guess. It's happened more times than it should.
"I wasn't coming into the playoffs thinking I was going to be nick-free or not getting touched at all. But I'm built for it," James said. "It's obvious that [the Wizards] want to get me unfocused. That can't happen and it won't happen."
Stevenson has been getting under James's skin ever since he called him "overrated" in March. In the second quarter of Game 4, the two nearly came to blows after Stevenson picked up a flagrant foul when he clubbed James in the head with his elbow, knocking off James's headband and sending him sprawling.
James shot up and approached Stevenson but did nothing more than walk away after they were separated. He added that it would've escalated had the incident occurred when James was a kid playing at Elizabeth Park in Akron.
"I don't fight," James said. "That's so grade school. I stopped fighting a long time ago. I don't need to fight anymore. I can't afford to get kicked out of a game or say something that may stir something where I get fined. I mean too much to my team to allow guys to hard foul me or say something where I could get kicked out."
Cavaliers Coach Mike Brown praised James for keeping his composure through the physical play and the hostile environment in Washington, where James was greeted with boos every time he touched the ball and heard "overrated" on more than one occasion.
"It takes a special human being to keep your poise with all that has gone on," Brown said.
James was asked if the league and its officials have done a good job of policing this series. "I'm not the guy to ask," he said. "I'm just an employee of the NBA, not the boss."
So far, this series has included six technical fouls, three flagrant-one fouls, one flagrant-two foul, one ejection, a $25,000 fine for a "menacing gesture" by Stevenson and a hip-hop feud. "It's getting real commercial," James said. "Hopefully we can close them out so I can give you some more insight about what I think has been happening this series."
Arenas Won't Start In Game 1
Arenas Won't Start In Game 1
Gilbert Arenas came off the bench in the five games he has played since making his return on April 2, and he will be in that role again for Game 1 of the Wizards' best-of-seven first-round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
However, Wizards Coach Eddie Jordan did not rule out making a change as the series goes along.
"Right now, we are looking at Game 1 and he is going to come off the bench," Jordan said. "We'll cross that bridge when we get to Game 2."
Since returning after missing 66 games following left knee surgery, Arenas averaged 14.6 points on 41.8 percent shooting with 3.8 assists in 21.6 minutes. Jordan said he hopes to expand Arenas's minutes in the playoffs. Antonio Daniels will start Game 1.
'Whether he starts or comes off the bench, I don't know if it's really different for an opponent,' Orlando Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy said. 'You would rather have him on the bench as long as you could if you are the opponent, I know that. No disrespect to their other players, but when you have a player like Gilbert Arenas, who is one of the best scorers in the league, every minute he is on the bench I would think is a good thing.'
After calling LeBron James overrated and making several other bold statements, Wizards guard DeShawn Stevenson fully expects to be public enemy number one when Game 1 tips off today at Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena.
"I have to expect that, I mean, it's LeBron James so it's pretty much everywhere on the streets right now," Stevenson said. "I'm not worried about it. I have to go out there and stop LeBron; and Gilbert, Antawn [Jamison], and Caron [Butler] have to do the scoring. I think my job is easier."
Stevenson, who took a charge on James late in Washington's 101-99 win over the Cavaliers on March 13, will almost certainly be reminded by fired-up Cleveland fans that he shot a dreadful 19.6 percent during last year's first-round series, won by the Cavaliers 4-0.
During that series, center Brendan Haywood became something of a villain in Cleveland after engaging in a shoving match and exchanging trash talk with then-Cavalier Drew Gooden in Game 2. 'I don't think they're going to worry too much about me,' Haywood cracked. 'I think that right now, their focus is going to be on somebody else.'
Wizards Try to Avoid Worst Start in Team History
WASHINGTON, Nov. 10 (AP) -- Stumped that the Washington Wizards have matched the worst start in franchise history, forward Antawn Jamison came very close to calling Sunday's game a must-win
"Eventually we're going to stop the bleeding, but 'eventually' needs to turn into 'Sunday,''' Jamison said. "In the past it's been, 'Eventually we're going to get it going.' Sunday it needs to happen.''
The Wizards are 0-5, matching the 1966 start of the Baltimore Bullets. A team that has relied so heavily on its offensive firepower for three playoff seasons is now the worst shooting team in the NBA, and spark plug Gilbert Arenas isn't the same because of a knee injury. They'll need a win Sunday at Atlanta to keep from posting the franchise's first-ever 0-6.
"It's very unexpected,'' forward Caron Butler said. "We've got a lot of talent. We've got good chemistry. We've got the same core guys as last year.''
The Wizards were embarrassed on their home court Friday night, losing by 26 to the Denver Nuggets. There were times in the third quarter when it appeared that someone needed to blow the whole roster apart and start all over again. Coach Eddie Jordan's team averaged a turnover per minute in the period, missed 7 of 10 shots and was outscored 33-11.
"The sense of urgency is upon us now,'' said Jordan, who had been heartened by his team's performance in a close loss at New Jersey the night before.
There are various explanations for all the team's ills. Jordan spent more time emphasizing defense during the preseason, so the offense has lacked its usual flow. Certainly Arenas' surgically repaired knee, which has been drained twice in recent weeks, is a major concern.
Whatever the causes, the Wizards suddenly look like a team very unsure of itself.
"We don't have that swagger about us offensively,'' Jamison said. "And that's something I never expected to come out of my mouth, especially dealing with this team.''
Washington started slow last year, going 4-9, but this year's start is exacerbated by the big 0 in the win column. Also, there's a sense that the team might eventually have to start playing for Jordan's job if the losing continues, even though he's the most successful Wizards coach in two decades.
"Guys seem to love Eddie and think he's a great fit for this team,'' Jamison said, "And we definitely don't want to see that happen. I definitely think it's too early for that. I don't foresee it to get to that point, and that would be another couple of months down the road. If that happens, that's guys not doing their job.''
New Jersey 87 - Washington 85
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., Nov. 8 (AP) -- Hustling for rebounds, helping out on defense and getting another big effort from Richard Jefferson has the New Jersey Nets off to their best start in five years.
Jefferson scored 25 points and grabbed an offensive rebound to set up his two game-winning free throws with 24 seconds to play as the Nets rallied from a 20-point first-half deficit for an 87-85 victory over the winless Washington Wizards on Thursday night.
After blowing a six-point lead over the final 1:53, the Nets made two big plays to send Washington to its fourth straight loss.
Jefferson made the first, grabbing the rebound of a missed 3-pointer by Vince Carter.
"Your eyes get real big sometimes when it's a tied game and someone takes a shot,'' Jefferson said. "A lot of times people turn around and look at the ball. No one boxed me out and I had a free run at it and the ball bounced perfectly to me.''
Once Jefferson had the ball, he was fouled by Antonio Daniels. That was money for the Nets. Jefferson made both free throws, finishing a 12-for-12 night and making him 46-of-47 for the season, including 21 in a row.
The Nets' fourth victory in five games wasn't secured until Antoine Wright forced Gilbert Arenas to the corner in the waning seconds, and Carter deflected his off-balance shot.
"I got a finger or two on it,'' said Carter, who had 24 points, including 12-of-14 from the line. "I wanted to let Antoine know I was there and I just tried to contest it and make it as tough a shot as possible. He is still capable of hitting shots like that.''
Wizards coach Eddie Jordan had no problem with Arenas going for the win, since he came up big so often last season.
"He said, `Let's win it,' and we tried to win it,'' Jordan said.
The Nets made things tough on Arenas by switching to a zone for the final play.
"I should have stayed straight up going toward the basket instead of going right,'' said Arenas, who had 21 points on 7-of-17 shooting. "Once I went right, there was no time left and Vince jumped pretty quick. ... It was just a bad shot on my part.''
Arenas, who is coming off knee surgery, has struggled with his shooting this season. He is 27-of-76 from the field (35.5 percent).
Bostjan Nachbar had 10 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter, when the Nets shot 65 percent.
Antawn Jamison had 24 points and nine rebounds for Washington, while Caron Butler added 21 points.
The 0-4 start is the first for Washington since 1992-93.
"It's embarrassing to start off 0-4. Last year, we started off 4-0,'' Arenas said. "We got off to a good run tonight from the start and we hadn't seen that all year. We'll get better.''
Trailing 85-79 with 1:53 to play, the Wizards tied the game with two defensive stops and six free throws, the last two by Butler with 39 seconds left.
The Nets then made the plays to win.
Jefferson hit a 3-pointer and converted a three-point play in an 8-0 run that gave New Jersey an 85-79 lead with 1:53 to play.
Over the next 74 seconds, Butler hit four free throws and Arenas made two to tie the game.
Coming into the game there was some question whether Arenas would play after getting fluid drained from his left knee.
Not only did he start, Arenas hit his first three shots, including two 3-pointers to spark a 16-2 spurt. The Wizards' lead was 12 points at the end of the quarter and it ballooned to 37-17 5 minutes into the second when Jamison hit consecutive baskets.
The Nets called a timeout and switched to a zone. It worked perfectly as New Jersey finished the half on a 19-4 spurt to close the gap to 41-36. Carter had seven points in the burst and Jefferson five.
Notes: Butler tied his career high with seven steals. ... After averaging 18.3 offensive rebounds in its first three games, Washington had eight, including none in the first half. ... Jefferson has 6,778 points as a Nets, moving into fifth place all-time ahead of Chris Morris (6,762). ... Washington has lost six straight overall to the Nets and 13 of 14 in New Jersey. ... Backup Nets C Jamaal Magloire had a season-high 12 rebounds.
