With smoke, fire, video, and spectacular pyrotechnics, the Wizards introduced their starting lineup for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.
Then the fans took over.
Wearing white T-shirts, waving towels, screaming to the rafters, and booing Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James every time he touched the ball, the usually indifferent Verizon Center crowd lifted the Wizards to an emotional 108-72 victory Thursday night.
Led by the rejuvenated trio of DeShawn Stevenson (19 points, five 3-pointers), Caron Butler (17 points), and Roger Mason (18 points), and propelled by a passionate defense that forced 23 turnovers, the Wizards broke their eight-game playoff losing streak to Cleveland and cut the Cavaliers’ lead to 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.
“The white T-shirts meant a lot,” said Jordan. “We said, ‘Gil [Arenas] starts. Let’s bring the crowd with us.’ Our fans meant a lot. [We] sort of rode the wave.”
Stevenson, taunted in Games 1 and 2 in Cleveland, for calling James “overrated,” brought the night to a climax when his hit his second straight 3-pointer, over James, early in the fourth quarter. As he strutted down court, Stevenson was accompanied by a musical clip by rapper Soulja Boy, who was in attendance, and who James derisively compared Stevenson to before the series.
Late in the game, as James stood at the foul line, he smiled as fans chanted “Over-rated.”
“I chuckled,” said Stevenson. “It feels good, but it’s only one game.”
James had a game-high 22 points, but was nine points shy of his average in the first two games. The Wizards kept the 6-9 forward on the perimeter. After shooting 31 free throws in the first two games, James was awarded only four Thursday.
Arenas started for the Wizards, but played only 10 minutes, leaving after bruising his left knee. It hardly mattered, however, as the Wizards re-discovered their ball-movement offense, which produced a balanced scoring attack that included Antawn Jamison (15 points) and Brendan Haywood (14 points).
Washington took command early in the second period as Mason came off the bench and scored seven straight points for a 28-17 lead.
The Wizards rolled from there.
