Cavaliers-Wizards 2 (postgame)

During the announcement of the starting lineups, LeBron James was booed heavily by the DC crowd. Not a smart move because it is these types of reactions that get LeBron's juices flowing. However, the game turned in the 3rd quarter and there was no looking back for Washington.

What a night by Arenas! He came out of his shooting slump to take care of business at home and also made the crowd scream "oohs" and "aahs" when he went Mano-a-Mano against LeBron. LeBron did some things to keep his team in it, but the back-to-back really showed on the Cavs as they didn't display their usual energy. The Wizards were also coming off a back-to-back, but playing at home gave them a sense of comfort.

Although Caron Butler has been the Wizards best player overall (even during the games Wiz lost), his shot is no longer there. However, with the absence of Jared Jefferies, Butler's rebounding numbers are way up. Jamison had a quiet night, but so did many others when Gilbert lit up the scoring.

The thing that stood out in this game was Washington's defense. For the first time this season, the defense was very good. I agree with LeBron and Coach Mike Brown that there were some fouls not called for #23, but overall, the Wizards displayed the type of defense that is needed on a nightly basis so that the team can stay competitive.

Lastly, the latest word on Jarvis Hayes is that he suffered a back bruise and is listed day-to-day. Good to hear that. People may have forgotten that Hayes was the starter on the Wizards last year until his season ended during the Laker game at Staples. The reasons were because Hayes showed Coach that he plays good defense and that Caron was new and had to take time to learn the offense. It is too bad that Hayes has been demoted back to the bench, but that's just the way it is in professional sports. It's all about performance and Caron brings more intangibles to the table.

Cleveland: 7-3
Washington: 4-5