Washington Wizards Vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

ROUND ONE - Eastern Conference
Washington Wizards and Cleveland Cavaliers Series Preview

This is a home court series. The teams are 2-2, with the home team winning in every contest. The Cleveland Cavaliers (45- 37) finished second in the Central Division of the NBA’s Eastern Conference. They were 14 games behind the division winning Pistons.

The Cavaliers scored 96.4 PPG, while allowing 96.7 PPG, earning them a minus of 0.4 PF/PA. The Cavs have LeBron James, who is perhaps the best small forward in the league. James is an amazingly skilled player, putting in 30.0 PPG, grabbing 7.9 RPG and feeding 7.2 APG. He hits 48% from the field and 32% from the arc. James also steals 1.84 balls per game and blocks 1.08 shots per game. Center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who averages 14.1 PPG, leads the club in rebbies with 9.3 a contest.

There’s a lack of depth for the Cavs, with power forward Drew Gooden (11.3 PPG, 8.3 RPG) out for the rest of the season and Larry Hughes (12.3 PPG) available but for a limited amount of action.

The Washington Wizards (43- 39) also allowed more points than they scored. The team let opponents put in 99.2 PPG, and they scored 98.8 PPG, which resulted in a plus/minus of minus-0.3 PF/PA. The Wizards are much better from the foul line and from the three-point arc than their opponents.

The Wizards will rely on the scoring prowess of Antawn Jamison (21.4 PPG), Caron Butler (20.3 PPG) and Gilbert Arenas (19.4 PPG). But both Butler and Arenas have injury problems that will hamper their performance. Butler, a small forward, has a 90% success rate from the foul line, 36% success from the three-point arc and 47% from the field. Hitting 38% from downtown and 80% from the charity stripe makes

DeShawn Stevenson extremely dangerous. Veteran shooting guard Stevenson played in every game this season and has done so the past three years. At the power position, Jamison grabbed 10.2 RPG and point man Gilbert Arenas led the team with 5.1 APG.

Neither of these clubs was hot at the end of the season as both had a 5- 5 record in their final 10 games. This is a toss up. Can James do it all to win this series?

Maddux Sports Series Prediction:

Cleveland Cavaliers in 7 Games

Enjoy Maddux Sports' NBA playoff coverage throughout the 2008 postseason.