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Cavs' star says Wizards' chatter is not motivating
By Brian Windhorst
Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Saturday, Apr 19, 2008
INDEPENDENCE: LeBron James had heard enough of the talk. He is ready to play.
Perhaps unavoidably, much of the buildup to the Cavaliers' first-round playoff series against the Washington Wizards has centered on the high-profile back-and-forth between James and Wizards guards DeShawn Stevenson and Gilbert Arenas.
It was perpetuated this week when TNT analyst Charles Barkley called the Wizards the ''dumbest team in the history of civilization'' for riling up James. That grabbed headlines, but James said Friday after the Cavs' last practice before the postseason that he doesn't need the extra fuel before tip-off today at 12:30 p.m. at Quicken Loans Arena.
''My response is: I'll be ready to play tomorrow,'' James said. ''I motivate myself. I don't need opponents to motivate me. I am going to go out there and play the way I do every night. I don't need help.''
James also addressed another area of the controversy for the first time. Stevenson told the Washington Post last month that his comments and anger at James came from a remark passed along to him by former Cavs forward Drew Gooden. Stevenson said it was both personal and basketball related.
''We don't need to talk bad about one another,'' Stevenson told the Post. ''I was ticked off and that's why I said something to him.''
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Continued from Page C1
James denied he said something personal, but he didn't deny being critical.
''I never said anything personal about him, nothing about his family or anything that would tick somebody off like that,'' James said. ''I don't know what was said to him. I've never said anything personal about anybody. Now, did I say something about his basketball game? Maybe. About him personally? I don't go that far.''
As for Arenas, who has downplayed the Cavs' success on several occasions over the past two seasons, James mostly laughed off the comments, saying: ''I know him personally. I was expecting worse from him.''
But while he says he doesn't need extra motivation, James certainly implied there will be some extra feeling.
''It being Washington, them disrespecting our team, we'll see what happens,'' James said. ''Has it gotten old? Of course. The game is tomorrow. We'll see what happens.''
Szczerbiak to start
Cavs coach Mike Brown is expected to start Wally Szczerbiak at shooting guard today, which is a surprise, considering he was a reserve almost all season in Cleveland and Seattle.
Szczerbiak made his first start for the Cavs on Wednesday, and that was in place of a resting James. Brown wants to keep Devin Brown, the former starter, in a reserve role to deal with the Wizards' second team, perhaps Arenas, who has been coming off the bench.
''It's interesting for sure,'' Szczerbiak said. ''That's why you have to stay prepared and stay ready for whatever might happen.''
West ready
Delonte West has not guarded Arenas as a member of the Cavaliers, but he spent a lot of time working against him when he was a member of the Boston Celtics. Several players might guard the Wizards' explosive scorer, but West figures to get a bulk of the time.
''I've matched up with him every time I played against the Wizards,'' West said. ''He's a great player in this league and he shoots the ball with extreme confidence and loves pressure. You have to contain him and it is going to take a team effort.''
Draft order set
The NBA broke some ties and set the official draft order Friday. The Cavs have their first-round pick for only the second time since 2004, and they will pick 19th. Their second-round pick belongs to the Phoenix Suns as part of a 2002 trade for Milt Palacio.
Brian Windhorst can be reached at bwindhor@thebeaconjournal.com. Read his blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/cavs/
INDEPENDENCE: LeBron James had heard enough of the talk. He is ready to play.
Get the full article here.
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