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By George M. Thomas
Beacon Journal sports writer
POSTED: 07:46 p.m. EST, Jan 04, 2009
WASHINGTON: In the opening moments against the Cavaliers Sunday, the Washington Wizards looked bound and determined to make up for their loss at Quicken Loans Arena Christmas Night, when they gave LeBron James and company the fits.
The game offered a sense of dja vu as the Cavs struggled out the gate and throughout the game before mounting a feverish fourth-quarter comeback. The only difference: This time they came up on the short end of an 80-77 score.
It took double technical fouls on Coach Mike Brown to help get his team to kick it in gear. Down 70-58, Brown took issue with an offensive foul called on forward LeBron James. Normally the epitome of calm and cool, Brown almost exploded at the call and the ref didn't hesitate to send him packing with 6:33 left in the fourth quarter.
''I thought Mike James slid over. I thought LeBron James tried to sidestep him,'' Brown said of the play. ''It should have been a block instead of a charge.''
Obviously, the referees saw it differently.
''Mike Brown didn't see it that way because right before that play, Andy [Varejao] got called for an offensive foul on a screen and we had a wide-open layup,'' LeBron James said.
It may have been just what the doctor ordered for his sluggish team. After Wizards guard Caron Butler connected on one of two free throws to take a 71-58 lead, the Cavs made their move, going on a 15-4 run to cut the lead to two points with 2:34 remaining in the game.
That wouldn't be the last call to change the complexion of the game. After the Cavs tied the game at 77, Antawn Jamison hit on a 17-foot jump shot to take the lead with 10.5 seconds left. LeBron James then drove to the hoop and hit what looked to be another game-tying shot. James made a familiar move with a hesitation dribble and two steps to the basket. The referee called it traveling.
''We all make mistakes and I think I got the wrong end of the bargain,'' James said. ''I watched it 10 times after the game and it was clearly a good play, so you live with it. The bad thing about it is that I was able to finish at the rim with contact, so it would have been a 3-point play. There were a lot of questionable calls out there today.''
That may have been the case, but looking at the bigger picture, the Cavaliers could only blame themselves for this loss. From the start, they looked out of sync and as energetic as a slug running in a marathon.
The usually less-than-magical Wizards put a spell on the Cavs — for at least an afternoon — in almost every category. None was more evident than the rebounding game — especially on the offensive glass. Washington won the overall battle 52-35, but owned a 19-9 advantage on offensive rebounds that translated into 20 second-chance points for the Wizards.
The Cavs allowed Washington too many easy points in the paint as the Wizards outscored them 38-28 in that category. And although the Cavs began the game shooting 50 percent in the first half, it wouldn't last, as they returned to the floor for the third quarter and promptly shot 25 percent.
''One thing you can't control, and that's making shots every game. Some games you come out and you can't make shots,'' LeBron James said.
He led all scorers with 30 points, 10 assists and six rebounds, for his 111th double-double. Varejao produced his second consecutive game in that category with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Jamison led the Wizards with 26 points, including the game-winning shot, and 13 rebounds. Butler chipped in 19.
The Cavaliers return home to face the Charlotte Bobcats Wednesday.
WASHINGTON: In the opening moments against the Cavaliers Sunday, the Washington Wizards looked bound and determined to make up for their loss at Quicken Loans Arena Christmas Night, when they gave LeBron James and company the fits.
The game offered a sense of dja vu as the Cavs struggled out the gate and throughout the game before mounting a feverish fourth-quarter comeback. The only difference: This time they came up on the short end of an 80-77 score.
It took double technical fouls on Coach Mike Brown to help get his team to kick it in gear. Down 70-58, Brown took issue with an offensive foul called on forward LeBron James. Normally the epitome of calm and cool, Brown almost exploded at the call and the ref didn't hesitate to send him packing with 6:33 left in the fourth quarter.
''I thought Mike James slid over. I thought LeBron James tried to sidestep him,'' Brown said of the play. ''It should have been a block instead of a charge.''
Obviously, the referees saw it differently.
''Mike Brown didn't see it that way because right before that play, Andy [Varejao] got called for an offensive foul on a screen and we had a wide-open layup,'' LeBron James said.
It may have been just what the doctor ordered for his sluggish team. After Wizards guard Caron Butler connected on one of two free throws to take a 71-58 lead, the Cavs made their move, going on a 15-4 run to cut the lead to two points with 2:34 remaining in the game.
That wouldn't be the last call to change the complexion of the game. After the Cavs tied the game at 77, Antawn Jamison hit on a 17-foot jump shot to take the lead with 10.5 seconds left. LeBron James then drove to the hoop and hit what looked to be another game-tying shot. James made a familiar move with a hesitation dribble and two steps to the basket. The referee called it traveling.
''We all make mistakes and I think I got the wrong end of the bargain,'' James said. ''I watched it 10 times after the game and it was clearly a good play, so you live with it. The bad thing about it is that I was able to finish at the rim with contact, so it would have been a 3-point play. There were a lot of questionable calls out there today.''
That may have been the case, but looking at the bigger picture, the Cavaliers could only blame themselves for this loss. From the start, they looked out of sync and as energetic as a slug running in a marathon.
The usually less-than-magical Wizards put a spell on the Cavs — for at least an afternoon — in almost every category. None was more evident than the rebounding game — especially on the offensive glass. Washington won the overall battle 52-35, but owned a 19-9 advantage on offensive rebounds that translated into 20 second-chance points for the Wizards.
The Cavs allowed Washington too many easy points in the paint as the Wizards outscored them 38-28 in that category. And although the Cavs began the game shooting 50 percent in the first half, it wouldn't last, as they returned to the floor for the third quarter and promptly shot 25 percent.
''One thing you can't control, and that's making shots every game. Some games you come out and you can't make shots,'' LeBron James said.
He led all scorers with 30 points, 10 assists and six rebounds, for his 111th double-double. Varejao produced his second consecutive game in that category with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Jamison led the Wizards with 26 points, including the game-winning shot, and 13 rebounds. Butler chipped in 19.
The Cavaliers return home to face the Charlotte Bobcats Wednesday.
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