Cavs Dominate Wizards and Now Head To The West

The Cavaliers put together arguably their most complete win of the season last night, against a Washington Wizards team who looked like they just wanted the game to end. With all the drama surrounding the gun allegations of Gilbert Arenas, and their star suspended indefinitely because of that situation, the short-handed Wizards were visibly overmatched most of the game and looked as if they just wanted the game over with for most of the night. The lone exception was Antawn Jamison who led all scorers with 26 points and continues to play with class and dedication, in spite of the state of the Wizards, which about now looks as if it’s spiraling downward. Jamison has always played well against the Cavs, and as I watched the game, I thought “damn, he would look good in a Cavs uniform”, imagining what it would be like to have him in the starting lineup instead of JJ Hickson. The Wizards need to let this guy go and play for a contender. At 33, he only has a few productive seasons left. Why not Cleveland?

Back to what we know is real, right now. Sorry about straying there for a bit. The Cavaliers dominated the Wizards in virtually every statistical category that means something, but there were two that really stood out to me:

REBOUNDS

The Cavaliers had 35 defensive rebounds and 44 total, while the Wizards only had 21 defensive rebounds, and 28 total. For pretty much the entire game, which included a fourth quarter where LeBron got a chance to watch the game from the bench while his teammates finished the job, the Cavs had one or two players attacking the rim after a shot. At times, it looked like it was Cavs players challenging one another for the ball, instead of the Wizards, with how well Cleveland dominated the boards. With game against up-tempo Western conference teams coming up, they will need to maintain that intensity.

ASSISTS

This is the statistic that I was the happiest about. The Cavaliers had 29 assists, to the Wizards 16. For the first time in a few games, the Cavaliers were active off the ball, with players on the offensive end of the floor, creating some very good looks, and when a player found themself open, the team got them the ball. In the past few games, the offense had been much too stagnant. Against the Wizards, the Cavaliers kept active, and the results were obvious on the scoreboard. This team has a number of playmakers, but the only way they will be able to contribute is if everyone stays fluid. It was fun to watch the Cavs offense for a change.

A couple other notes……

Jamario Moon was inactive due to an abdominal strain and taking his place was Jawad Williams, who in his first real action of the season, played 25 minutes and had seven points. Williams should continue to see action until Moon is healthy enough to return.

This was one of the rare nights when the Cavaliers did not play to the level of weaker competition. They jumped on top of the Wizards early an outside of a period in the third quarter when the Wizards shaved a 22 point lead to 14, the Cavaliers continued to play THEIR game and remained focused. No silly behind the back passes in traffic……no losing focus on the defensive end of the floor. The Cavaliers played the kind of game they will need as they head out West, if the roadtrip is to be a successful one.

Tags: Antawn Jamison, Jawad Williams