April 25, 2008
White Out, Stevenson Propel Wizards Past Cavs in Game 3
The NBA playoffs is all about adjustments. After their performance in Game Two, the Wizards needed quite a few and head coach Eddie Jordan responded in kind for Game Three. Gilbert Arenas was added to the starting lineup, the team switched a majority of its defensive matchups, and the result was a resounding 108-72 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers that likely had most fans at home on the couch switching over to Lost at 10 p.m. The 36-point victory set a club record.
Cleveland looked out of sorts on offense all night and played right into Jordan's hands. By putting Caron Butler on LeBron James and DeShawn Stevenson on Delonte West, Cleveland tried to take advantage of the resulting Arenas v. Wally Szczerbiak match-up. And while they did get a few buckets early in the game, they focused entirely on that match-up and never really got into a good offensive flow. The Wizards meanwhile, stopped taking jumpers and attached the rim. They also turned up the defensive pressure, causing 15 Cleveland turnovers in the first half alone.
Stevenson woke up from the offensive coma he'd been in all series with 19 big points (including a little "I can't feel my face" action). Butler added 17 and Brendan Haywood delivered another strong performance with 14 points and 6 rebounds. Five Wizards scored in double figures while only two managed that feat for the Cavs. James, who thoroughly dominated Games One and Two, finished with 22 points and 7 rebounds, but just 3 assists. His teammates shot a combined 19-54.
Photo by Scott Ableman
But the news wasn't all good. Arenas appeared to re-injure his knee just before the half and did not play after halftime, finishing with two points in 10 minutes of playing time. He was listed as day to day after the game.
Also worth noting was the incredibly vocal crowd at the Verizon Center. The White Out worked. That was without a doubt the loudest basketball game I've ever attended in D.C. The VC crowd gets called out continually for their lackadaisical attitude, but they brought their A-game last night. Fans all over the arena were yelling, screaming, stomping and making as much noise as they possible could.
Game Four is Sunday at 1 p.m.
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at the risk of sounding even more stupider, what's the point of the "white out"? why not a "blue out" or a "fluorescent orange out"?
Are you saying that Blatche "attached" the rim?
No talk of Soulja Boy being at the game?
cavaliers=Anton Chigurh
wizards= anybody standing in Anton's way
For the first time in my life, I was happy to see Soulja Boy. And just in case you weren't sure if it was him or not, dude was wearing plastic glasses with "Soulja Boy" written in cursive on the lenses using (I think) puffy paint. Classy.
McGillicuddy, I think they just had to pick a color, and white really stands out, especially when the entire arena is white. Which it was since there was a white t-shirt thrown across every seat in the Phone Booth, waiting for you when you arrived at your seat.
And I agree with Kyle about the crowd. I hadn't felt that kind of fan intensity at many non-Redskins related sporting events. DC United fans get nuts, but that's mostly just a few hundred people in the Barra Bravas and Screaming Eagles. This was a sold out Verizon Center crowd, all on its feet, waving those towels and screaming as loud as they could. I even heard a chant of "overrated" break out in the metro station after the game!
were the overrated chants to LBR or the entire Cavs team?
Either way, seems like a silly thing to chant to a team that was up 2-0 in a playoff series and beaten them the past two years.
The Wizard's success will only be momentary. They seem to be doomed to lose later on.
http://satiricalmilk.blogspot.com/
The "overrated" was because DeShawn Stevenson called LeBron "overrated" after a regular season game. Stupid move, but it made for some good hype.
Also, for all your Soulja Boy Washington Post love, and a video, check out this DC Sports Bog post. I can't imagine Soulja Boy even knew who DeShawn Stevenson was a few weeks ago, and yet he knew enough last night to do the "I-can't-feel-my-face" handwave. Not bad, Soulja Boy, not bad. The crowd certainly loved it. I just feel bad for the poor girl that probably got Supermanned after the show.
It's not a silly thing to chant when it riles "The Chosen One" up so much that he laughs (and therefore acknowledges the crowd) and then misses his free throws--that was priceless.
I can't wait for Sunday, it was electric in there.
The lack of hometown pride always makes me sad. You live here, you cant root for your home team?
DeShawn has the right to have an opinion about a player. He didnt say LeBron sucks. The media act like he's the second coming of Christ. Overrated? Even his fans have to admit it's a little heavy-handed.
And how is getting the crowd and the fans excited about the game and the series "a silly thing"? Are we just supposed to sit quietly and wait for Boston or LA to win the Finals? Or are we allowed to hope the Wizards advance?
Seconded ai
I dunno if I'd ever call someone, who single-handedly takes his team to the playoffs (name one person other than LBR on the Cavs) and single-handedly beats the Pistons and takes them to the finals in 07, overrated. When Lebron wasnt in the starting lineup in 08, there Cavs were 0-6.
James is arguably the best player currently in the NBA - Kobe, Chris Paul, Garnett, Nash and maybe Duncan all have a strong case. You dont hard-foul a player who is overrated, you make him beat you from the floor.
And, this is all coming from an 11 point 3 assist guy? Come on. Arenas or Jamison can get away with this, but not Stevenson.
I like that Stevenson has enough pride and confidence to talk shit about LeBron.
Bron-bron is just a man; a man who plays basketball very well, perhaps better than anyone else on the planet; but still just a man.
Stevenson has a right to say whatever he wants. And I like the guy. But I personally feel he should accomplish more in the league before he calls out someone who is an All-Star and has led their team to the NBA finals.
But this is moving us away from the main point, which is that the game last night was fantastic. The Wizards were great on both sides of the ball, and the crowd was so into every moment.
Also, I need to get that Soulja Boy song out of my head.
ces12 - If you are talking about the play when BTH got tossed in game 2, that wasn't even a foul if Lebron hadn't been involved. It certainly wasn't a "hard foul".
I don't think Lebron is overrated, but if Deshawn wants to talk and the Wiz don't lose in 4 and if the Wiz get their biggest playoff win in history, then who cares? It is just posturing. Maybe they back it up, maybe they don't. It is just part of the game. But you know this; I don't need to explain these things to you. So why do you feel like you need to explain to us why what Deshawn said is a little silly?
If you don't think the foul Haywood had on Lebron was a hard foul, you have no idea what you are talking about. No offense. That is the definition of a hard foul. I will agree that if it wasn't Lebron who he did it too he might not have been ejected, but it was a flagrant foul, no doubt. He just pushed him in mid-air, without going for the ball.
I'm not gonna argue with you. I wasn't there - I only saw it on TV. It looked like a flop to me, an embellishment. BTH's "defense" was awkward, Lebron embellished and the refs did the rest. That's how I saw it.
You are watching it through Wizards colored glasses. I have no rooting interest in either team, and it was clear as day that it was an intentional/flagrant foul. Worthy of ejection? Questionable.