Wizards Wonderfully Defeat Cleveland Cavaliers, 109-101.
Still believing in his team, Washington Wizards owner Abe Polin told DC UrbanSports in an exclusive interview after the game:
Returning to the Wizards’ lineup were Brendan Haywood (his second game back since a wrist injury held him out for much of the season), Gilbert Arenas, (his second appearance this season since the 98-96 loss to Detroit on March 28), and Caron Butler (also returning since the Detroit game).
Even LeBron James (31 points) knows the difference, telling us, “We can’t win when they (Wizards) are shooting 50% from the field.
“Certain teams match up with you really well, and this is the team that matches up with us really well.”
When asked by another reporter if it was an embarrassment to have lost to the Wizards (the Wizards are regarded as the worst NBA team in the Eastern conference), James replied (in almost defending-the-Wizards-like-fashion),
Caron Butler was the lead scorer with 25, followed by Antawn Jamison with 19. Brendan Haywood led the team in defensive rebounds with ten, a post he shared with team mate Dominic McGuire. Gil Arenas continues to improve his teammates' scoring, dishing out, for the second straight game, another 10 assists.
The Wizards beat Cleveland on January 4th of this year, 80-77. They are in Miami this Saturday to face the Heat before they again face the Cavaliers in Cleveland for the last time in regular season action.
This season, unlike the last three, will be one where the Wizards and the Cavaliers won't faceoff in playoff action. The Wizards, 18-59, will not make the playoffs this year, but by all accounts - and with all healthy - they'll be back next season with a vengeance.
Heavy star power at the game: Redskins Fred Smoot, Washington Caps, Alex Ovechkin; Redskins Carlos Rogers; Washington Kastles’, Mark Ein; Washington Caps owner Ted Leonsis; former Redskins LeVar Arrington, and others.
Cleveland Ties: Brendan Haywood was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the 20th overall pick in 2001; Cavs Head Coach Mike Brown spent three years in Washington beginning in 1997; two years as an assistant under Bernie Bickerstaff, and one year as a pro scout. Cavs guard, Delonte West attended DC's Eleanor Roosevelt HS, and Cleveland's Ben Wallace played 147 games for the Wizards from 1996-99.
Game photos!
(Article Photo: CD Brown/DC UrbanSports)
Still believing in his team, Washington Wizards owner Abe Polin told DC UrbanSports in an exclusive interview after the game:
“I called it. I predicted that we would win. When all our guys are hurt, and they come back, we have a competitive team. We can compete with anybody.”That’s exactly true.
Returning to the Wizards’ lineup were Brendan Haywood (his second game back since a wrist injury held him out for much of the season), Gilbert Arenas, (his second appearance this season since the 98-96 loss to Detroit on March 28), and Caron Butler (also returning since the Detroit game).
Even LeBron James (31 points) knows the difference, telling us, “We can’t win when they (Wizards) are shooting 50% from the field.
“Certain teams match up with you really well, and this is the team that matches up with us really well.”
When asked by another reporter if it was an embarrassment to have lost to the Wizards (the Wizards are regarded as the worst NBA team in the Eastern conference), James replied (in almost defending-the-Wizards-like-fashion),
“These guys are NBA players. They work just as hard as we do to get to this level. It’s an NBA team. It’s not an embarrassment. There’s going to be games in the NBA where you don’t win, and there’s going to be games where you win, when you shouldn’t have won. But to look at it to say it’s an embarrassment (to have lost to the Wizards) is disrespectful to them.”Cavalier head coach, Mike Brown knows all too well about the Wizards' abilities, telling reporters in a post-game interview, “They led in second chance points (15). Our shots went up, and all of our guys stood and watched, and the Wizards got rebounds and got uncontested layups.
"They did a tremendous job. They’ve given us problems every year in the regular season since I’ve been here. They have our number, and it was no different tonight.”Overall the Wizards did a phenomenal job - shooting 50.6% from the field, 86.7% from the free-throw line, leaving Wizards fans, and Cleveland fans alike, with a new found respect for the team.
Caron Butler was the lead scorer with 25, followed by Antawn Jamison with 19. Brendan Haywood led the team in defensive rebounds with ten, a post he shared with team mate Dominic McGuire. Gil Arenas continues to improve his teammates' scoring, dishing out, for the second straight game, another 10 assists.
The Wizards beat Cleveland on January 4th of this year, 80-77. They are in Miami this Saturday to face the Heat before they again face the Cavaliers in Cleveland for the last time in regular season action.
This season, unlike the last three, will be one where the Wizards and the Cavaliers won't faceoff in playoff action. The Wizards, 18-59, will not make the playoffs this year, but by all accounts - and with all healthy - they'll be back next season with a vengeance.
Heavy star power at the game: Redskins Fred Smoot, Washington Caps, Alex Ovechkin; Redskins Carlos Rogers; Washington Kastles’, Mark Ein; Washington Caps owner Ted Leonsis; former Redskins LeVar Arrington, and others.
Cleveland Ties: Brendan Haywood was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the 20th overall pick in 2001; Cavs Head Coach Mike Brown spent three years in Washington beginning in 1997; two years as an assistant under Bernie Bickerstaff, and one year as a pro scout. Cavs guard, Delonte West attended DC's Eleanor Roosevelt HS, and Cleveland's Ben Wallace played 147 games for the Wizards from 1996-99.
Game photos!
(Article Photo: CD Brown/DC UrbanSports)
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