Last year's second round NBA playoff matchup between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Washington Wizards was a hard-fought battle that last seven games. It took two Lebron James' buzzer-beater shots and a little luck for the Cavs to get past the Wizards.
This year's first round matchup between the two teams had a much different outlook. The Wizards lost stars Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler to injuries and had to rely heavily on its bench against the Cavs. Antawn Jamison, the third star of the Wizards "trio", suddenly looked alone. While he responded with a valient effort, his 32.0 points per game and 9.8 rebounds per gamefor the series would prove insufficient. Cleveland did not seem too phased.
With Lebron James performing at his typical superstar level, averaging 27.8 points per game to go along with 7.5 assists per game, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas grabbing 11.0 rebounds per game, Cleveland had little trouble against the short-handed Wizards. The Cavs outrebounded the Wizards by nearly 13 boards per game and outscored them in the four games 100.3 - 91.5.
Antonio Daniels made a case for more playing time next season with 11.8 assists per game in the series. He also committed less than two turnovers per game, which is an astounding statistic. Still, Washington needs Arenas and Butler healthy to be competitive. One can bet that team management will be looking to add depth to the roster in the offseason.
The Cavs will play the winner of the New Jersey Nets - Toronto Raptors series. The Nets have the momentum in that series, leading three games to two, but the Raptors have a shot. Star forward Chris Bosh will need to play more consistently and stay out of early foul trouble in order for them to have a shot. If the Cavs play New Jersey next, they will have to try to find an answer for Jason Kidd, who has been stellar in that first round series. In one game, he scored 16 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and dished out 19 assists. The Cavs will need their supporting cast to continue to step up so as not to rely too heavily on James.
Meanwhile, the Wizards head into the offseason with numerous question marks. This will be an important summer for them, as Gilbert Arenas can opt out of his contract next summer. The Wizards must decide to make a push to better its team to entice Arenas to stay next season, or disband the team and look toward the future. Antawn Jamison enters the last year of his contract, which will pay him $16 million. At 31, he may soon be passing the prime years of his career.
