They stole the momentum, tilting the series to their favor. They even made someone nicknamed The Chosen One appear to be a mortal. Or something close.
It’s all the fifth-seeded Wizards wanted to do in Cleveland. Now they have to make sure it stays that way. The best-of-seven series is tied at 1.
“The pressure is on us to sustain home court,” Wizards forward Antawn Jamison said. “We’re now the fourth seed and they’re the fifth seed as far as home court advantage. There’s still pressure on us to play well.”
Washington hosts the next two games, tonight and Sunday, as it tries to win a first-round playoff series for the second straight season. The Cavs have not won a series since 1993.
Not that the Wizards think they’ve seized control of the series with just one road win. A loss tonight would return the advantage to Cleveland.
“We still have to build and thrive off this momentum we created by winning the last game,” Wizards forward Caron Butler said. Our energy was the big key in Game [2]. For Game 3, we know it will be there. We’ll be back home and we know it will be crazy here. We’ll just vibe off the crowd. It will be unbelievable in this building.”
To make sure they continue to hold the advantage, the Wizards must continue some signs they showed Tuesday, such as the physical play. A team known for its finesse, save for Butler and Michael Ruffin, has not turned into the new Bad Boys of the NBA. But they did prevent LeBron James from driving the lane without concern by fouling him hard.
Even center Brendan Haywood got involved by corralling James on a drive, preventing a shot.
“He’s more the finesse guy, shy away from contact,” Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas said of Haywood. “But when you see him out there fouling people, you know he’s ready to play.”
The Wizards, though, don’t think James was flustered by the physical play. Their concern is still limiting what his teammates do.
“We just did a good job making it tough on him,” Jamison said. “He’s used to it.”
Arenas wants to continue getting others involved, picking his spots to attack. He once dubbed himself the Eastern Conference Assassin. When asked when he’d show that side, Arenas smiled.
“I’m waiting,” he said. “Right now they’re focused on me and they should be. As long as we’re in the game I don’t need to try and attack, but don’t worry, he will come out in the series. He will.”
Downward trends
» LeBron James is shooting 36 percent from the field in the series. Gilbert Arenas hasn’t been much better, hitting 38.6 percent of his shots.
» Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who averaged 15.8 points per game and shot 50 percent against Washington in the regular season, is averaging 9.5 points and shooting 35 percent from the field in the playoffs.
» The Cavs have outrebounded Washington in the first two games and by nearly 12 for the series.
