For the third time in as many years, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Washington Wizards met in the first round of the 2008 NBA playoffs. And for the third straight year, the Cavaliers kicked the Wizards out of the playoffs, who never made it to the second round. If they would have gotten to the second round, it would have been the first time since 1982.
Fans and sportscasters alike felt that these two teams were most closely matched of any in the playoffs. Everyone expected close scores and for the round to go the full seven games.
Before round one even began, Wizard’s guard DeShawn Stevenson commented to the media that LeBron James was overrated. When the Cavaliers won the second straight game and LeBron scored 30 points, the Wizards’ fans watched in dismay as the Cavaliers usual bench warmers were sent in to play the final six minutes of the game.
Unfortunately, the games were marred by flagrant fouls for hard physical contact on LeBron James. Three different Wizards were found guilty by the referees.
The Wizards getting to the playoffs was a surprise to most NBA fans, since their valuable player Gilbert Arenas had suffered injuries early in the season. It was believed that the team would not be able to compete. But they made it to the playoffs again. And what is noticeably in their favor is that they are a very young team. While the Celtics and Pistons go through midlife, the Wizards are just growing up into what is expected to be an exciting and especially winning franchise.
