Hoops IQ Says: The Wizards wanted the Cavaliers in the first round and they got their wish. Without question the majority of the media's attention surrounding this series will focus on the comments made by DeShawn Stevenson about LeBron James. "LeBron is Over-rated?" That comment will be tied to good play, poor play and everything in between. However, this is a playoff series that would have been filled with bad blood with or without Stevenson's comments. Cleveland has knocked the Wizards out of playoffs each of the past two seasons, including a four-game sweep last year. Of course this is who Washington wanted, of course these teams don't like each other, but to understand why the Cavs have the upper hand in this series you have to get past the media circus that will follow LeBron James.
Washington, like Phoenix, Denver, Golden State and Philadelphia all rely heavily on their transition game for easy baskets. However, in the playoffs transition points are tougher to come by, especially against veteran teams like the Cavaliers. Cleveland's main objective is to limit Washington's fastbreak points and force them into half-court basketball. Washington struggles to generate consistent interior offensive production especially against teams with legitimate low-post defenders. Although, Antawn Jamison was one of only four players in the league this season to average better than 20 points and 10 rebounds a game, most of his production is perimeter oriented. Brendan Haywood, Andray Blatche and Darius Songaila won't receive much media fanfare but they are the keys to Washington's post-season success. This trio needs to play "big" both in production and stature.
Cleveland is one of the best rebounding teams in the league, and statistically dominated the Wizards in that category during the regular season (Cleveland +8.7 rebound margin). Washington, will need to rebound and score inside to win this series, especially with superstar Gilbert Arenas and All-Star Caron Butler not at full strength. Enjoy the talking, the gesturing and all of the other entertaining antics that go on in this series, but don't forget this is basketball. Washington will need to address certain deficiencies if they truly expect to win this series.
General Information:
| 2007-2008 Records: |
| Overall Record: 43-39 |
| Home Record: 25-16 |
| Road Record: 18-23 |
| Against Cleveland: 2-2 |
2007-2008 Season Stats:
| TEAM | G | FG% | 3PT% | FT% | TREB | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| Washington | 82 | 44.6 | 35.6 | 78.2 | 41.6 | 19.6 | 7.7 | 4.8 | 98.8 |
| Cleveland | 82 | 43.9 | 35.8 | 71.7 | 44.6 | 20.0 | 7.1 | 5.2 | 96.4 |
Head-to-Head Stats vs. Cleveland:
| TEAM | G | W-L | FG% | 3PT% | FT% | OREB | TREB | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| Washington | 4 | 2-2 | 46.6 | 33.3 | 72.2 | 8.0 | 35.3 | 20.5 | 6.8 | 4.8 | 95.0 |
| Cleveland | 4 | 2-2 | 46.7 | 39.6 | 75.9 | 12.5 | 44.0 | 24.8 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 99.0 |
| Projected Starters: | Key Reserves: |
| PG - Antonio Daniels | PG - Gilbert Arenas |
| SG - DeShawn Stevenson | SG - Roger Mason Jr. |
| SF - Caron Butler | PF - Andray Blatche |
| PF - Antawn Jamison | PF - Darius Songaila |
| C - Brendan Haywood |
First Round Schedule and Results:
April 19 - Washington 86 @ Cleveland 93 (Cleveland leads 1-0)April 21 - Washington 86 @ Cleveland 116 (Cleveland leads 2-0)
April 24 - Cleveland 72 @ Washington 108 (Cleveland leads 2-1)
April 27 - Cleveland 100 @ Washington 97 (Cleveland leads 3-1)
April 30 - Washington 88 @ Cleveland 87 (Cleveland leads 3-2)
May 2 - Cleveland 105 @ Washington 88 (Cleveland wins 4-2)
Jeff's First Round Series Prediction: Defensively the Wizards are thin inside, offensively their post players are nearly non-existant. The biggest key for Washington is slowing down Zydrunas Ilgauskas in the paint. Brendan Haywood must stay out of foul trouble, because neither Blatche or Songaila has a chance of stopping Ilgauskas. If Arenas and Butler were 100 percent healthy this would be a completely different series. However, they're not. Cleveland wins this series, not because the Wizards sparked LeBron but because the Cavs dominate this team on the both the offensive and defensive boards. Washington will struggle to guard LeBron, but more importantly they will also struggle to contain Zydrunas. Cavaliers in 6.
Nick's First Round Series Prediction: Wizards in 6.
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