DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Cavaliers vs Wizards Series Game 2

http://cbs.sportsline.com/nba/gamecenter/preview/NBA_20070425_WAS@CLE

VENUE: Quicken Loans Arena



CLEVELAND (AP) - At the mall or at the movies, Cavaliers 7-foot-3 center Zydrunas Ilgauskas stands out in a crowd.

On the court, he's still tough to miss, the biggest of the big men in the middle. But for some strange reason, the Washington Wizards couldn't find him in Game 1 - until it was too late.

With a huge size advantage down low, Ilgauskas scored 11 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter when Cleveland beat Washington 97-82 in the first-round playoff series opener.

It wasn't LeBron James or Larry Hughes who did the Wizards in. Instead it was the guy nicknamed 'Z' who put them to sleep.

If Washington has any notion of evening this best-of-seven series in Game 2 on Wednesday, the Wizards must do a better job of containing Ilgauskas, who's five inches taller than Etan Thomas, Washington's starting center.

But Ilgauskas said he thinks the Wizards' priorities will remain elsewhere.

"I think they should be worried about LeBron and Larry more," he said.

James didn't practice on his sprained left ankle Tuesday but will play in Game 2. He got hurt on a drive to the basket in Sunday's third quarter and has spent the past two days getting rest and treatment.

"I'll be ready," he said.

The undermanned Wizards had better be, too.

They've spent the past two days regrouping and practicing in Washington. On Monday, forward Caron Butler had the cast taken off his broken right hand. Although he thinks he can be back in time for Game 3, coach Eddie Jordan isn't planning to have Butler unless the Wizards can advance.

Even without leading scorer Gilbert Arenas and Butler, the Wizards were within striking distance in the fourth quarter when Jordan switched to a smaller lineup hoping for an offensive spark.

Instead, he left the Wizards vulnerable on defense, and the Cavaliers made them pay.

They pounded the ball into Ilgauskas, who scored nine points in a decisive 13-4 burst that put Cleveland up by 15.

At various times, Ilgauskas was guarded by Thomas, Antawn Jamison (6-foot-9), Darius Songaila (6-foot-9) and Michael Ruffin (6-foot-8). Not one could handle him.

"Obviously, he's a lot bigger and taller," Songaila said. "You have to stay between him and the basket. You can't let him back you down under the rim. With his height he can easily reach over and get the tip and some rebounds and stuff like that."

While Ilgauskas had his way with the Wizards, Jordan kept 7-footer Brendan Haywood on the bench. Haywood played just five minutes - zero in the fourth.

Ilgauskas was surprised Haywood wasn't banging into him inside.

"He (Haywood) has had success guarding me before, and I think for sure I'm going to see him a lot more," he said.

But Haywood knows that decision is up to Jordan.

"I can't do anything to change the situation," Haywood said Tuesday. "If there's going to be a lot of changes, it'll be because he feels there should be. If not, he'll play the guys he thinks will help him win the game."

Haywood has been in Jordan's doghouse for weeks, but with the season on the brink, it might be time to turn him loose.

"We want him to play with a lot of energy, intelligently, and let's see what happens," Jordan said. "You make your own minutes. He's practiced well the last two days. He's upbeat, and let's see if it carries over to the game."

Jordan, too, would like to get more offensively from Thomas, who was 1-of-4 from the field, made three turnovers and didn't get to the line in 20 minutes.

The Cavaliers, meanwhile, want to hold serve at home against a shorthanded opponent.

James took exception to critics who felt Cleveland should have won the opener more decisively.

"We're not looking to blow this team out," he said. "We're looking to come in and win a ballgame. It don't matter if it's by 1 point or by 15."

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AP Sports Writer Howard Fendrich in Washington contributed to this report.

AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service

Copyright 2006-2007, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved

Ill be down at the Q tonight for the game going wild. Sounds like LB should be fine. Lets hope Larry keeps up his game from Sunday.

Sounds like fun 8pm est. right? Go Cavs!

The Cavs need to put this series to bed in 5 games.. I'll give the Wiz one game at home on emotion alone and not wanting to get swept.. but without Arenas and Butler the Cavs need to get it over with and maybe get some rest...

The Cav's have the easiest road to the conf. final I feel we win this in 5 and the next in 6

Quote:

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we really need to prove we are a contender and stomp on the weaker teams.

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Exactly... when a team is without their best player, sometimes the team can rally like the Cavs have done with LeBron down.. but when a team is without it's TWO best players... you need to dispose of them quickly...

As it looks like Chicago is doing to Miami. I was hoping for a grueling 7 game series here, but doesn't seem to be in the cards. Granted, Miami is not even close to the team they were last year (and I also believe we would have taken them down in 6 if we were that 5 seed). However, we will likely play the winner of the Bulls / Piston series - and the more tired they are, the better. Similar to what happened to us last year - just ran out of gas after emotional games.

Have fun! I'll be listening at work. LETS GO CAVS!!!!!!

I've decided to take my best friend......who lives in Akron to the game tonite and he was the one who put me on to LeBron, when i was living in Columbus....can't wait!!!!

It's good to have an 85%LBJ than a no playing LBJ.......you know?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/22/AR2007042201494.html


Posting Up
Dan Steinberg takes an irreverent look at the Wizards-Cavaliers playoff series
Monday, April 23, 2007; Page E09


Cavs fans are, by and large, lemmings. That's the only reasonable conclusion, based on yesterday's Game 1 win over the Wizards.

First, consider the "wine"-colored "RISE UP!" T-shirts distributed to fans as they entered the building. Throughout the pregame festivities and, indeed, the game itself, iconoclasts who persisted in wearing their dangerously non-standardized street clothes were singled out on the video screen, as witty phrases flashed underneath their faces. To wit:

"Wine aren't you wearing your shirt?"

"Quit your wining and put it on."

"Wine not . . . it was free?"

Eventually, the street-clothes-wearing fans would relent, and the lemmings would cheer, and the camera would find some other poor sucker willing to have his or her individualism drowned in wine.

Then there's the "RISE UP!" slogan itself, which adorned not only the T-shirts but also the team's white playoff towels. In fact, the Cavs' catchy playoff mantra was deployed approximately 43,017 times yesterday. "RISE UP!" banners hang from the Quicken Loans Arena ceiling and are plastered outside the building. Four massive jerseys, 25 feet by 35 feet and weighing 102 pounds each, hang from Cleveland's Terminal Tower, "RISE UP!" Just in case the message wasn't clear, the pregame video unleashed a barrage of brawny verse:

To rise; to get up;

After falling down.

To stand as one;

To advance to a higher level;

The time to RISE UP is now.

But some individuality emerged from Sunday's sea of unthinking wine. Witness Don Mathis Jr., a 50-year-old devout Catholic and artist who was adorned in a red-white-and-blue Uncle Sam hat, a LeBron James jersey and a massive crucifix. His beard and moustache were neatly striped with the Cavaliers' tri-colors.

"I also paint with my beard in real life," he told me. "They're abstract paintings -- kind of like Jackson Pollock."

It's actually not a funny story. After his wife was murdered in 1998, Mathis said, he stopped shaving and eventually became inspired to use his beard as a brush, dipping it in acrylic water-based paints. His work can be seen at his Web page, http://web.mac.com/beardedimages.

"If you ever want a print, let me know," he told me. "I'll give you a good deal. They're original."

About that, I have no doubt.

Written Entry



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Gilbert Arenas might be sidelined, but he inserted himself into this series via blog. "I already called the [Cleveland] players," he wrote late last week. "Damon Jones, Larry [Hughes], LeBron didn't want to pick up the phone because he already knew what was going to happen. The message is, 'Punks jump up to get beat down.' "

Yesterday, Jones confirmed that he spoke with Arenas.

"I thought it was a great tactic on his part," Jones said. "Trying to give us bulletin board material, to [make us] go out and try to do something that was out of our character, try to dominate. But you know, basketball is basketball. When you get out there on the floor, players make plays."

And for obvious reasons, Arenas made none.


***Washington is crying again, just like last year.....****

Now i realy want a sweep! Go Cavs!

Headed down to the "Q" right now,2119....see ya down there hopefully...my seats are in section C109....GoCavs!!!!

So this game isn't on national tv tonight? Cavs.com only has FSN Ohio listed

LET'S GO CAVS

Anyone have an internet radio link?

I HATE TIME WARNER!!!!

The channel the game is supposed to be on has been FROZEN since 8:00.

Consider yourself lucky with the way they've been playing. 45-43 Cavs thanks largely to Drew Gooden that they are even in this...

TWTV is working for me, luckly.

Gooden on fire

Nice - up by 10... Come on Cavs!

Holy crap, this game should never be this close......

Thankfully Hughes is draining his FT's.

i actually think we're going to be better on the road... not so much hooplah in the atmosphere...

the big key is that lebron gets another 3 days to rest that ankle...

very sloppy finish though, i gotta give the wizards credit, they're playing great basketball, and aren't make the loss of arenas and butler an excuse....

we all make fun of eddie jordan for being a crybaby, but he's doing a hell of a job...

A win is a win. I'll take it

this really doesn't feel like the playoffs...

through 2 games, it's been hard to get excited about it...

i think the next round will be cranked up a ton, especially if it's new jersey, that will be a fun series...

and after that, if we move on, detroit or chicago, that will be out of this world...

Let's get the Sweep!!!

Great time at the Q, not much to say but that you Drew for keeping us in it in the first half. I guess a win is a win right?

They better step it up when they go to Washington.

Oh yeah, during one of the timeouts they had a dance off between 2 little kids, probably like 5 years old, one kid was wearing a Cavs jersey and the wearing a Wizards jersey unfortunately. The kid wearing the Wizards jersey was amazing and blew the other kid out of the water, but of course he got boo'd wearing the Wiz gear. Where else can you see a 5 year old get boo'd by 20K people, classic.

Also they had a little video montage about the Kardiac Kids. I think it was during haltime, ot sure, but not a lot of people were paying attention to the big screen, but those who were, like myself, were all standing and clapping, it was nice to see at a basketball game.