What to Watch For - Cavs v. Wizards on Christmas Day
Posted December 25th, 2008 by Michael Curry
What to watch for tonight as the Wizards try to end the Cavaliers home winning streak at 14 this evening:
1. Will Cavalier fans get what they wished for this Christmas? The Cavs are looking excellent at home, and are the only team in the league with a perfect record at home. While the Cavaliers are currently winning at an absurd rate, the home wins are the best indicator that this team is looking at an excellent record no matter what happens, even if they fall short of their current historic pace. The Cavs will have an opportunity to continue that tonight against a Washington Wizards team that has played the role of LeBron James’ whipping boy for the last three seasons.
In a city so desperately starved for on the court/field success, the Cavaliers are the shining beacon of success. The team is not plagued by controversy and questionable personalities. They have done very well the past three seasons, perhaps even overachieving when the Playoffs arrive. In short, they have been an admirable franchise, led by the best player on the planet. That is a nice gift for Cavalier fans this season, and if things keep going this well, the season could end with the greatest gift the City has recieved in over 40 years.
2. Are the Wizards as bad as they look? Things certainly haven’t been rosy in D.C. this season, as the Wizards have by far the worst record in the Eastern Conference at 4-22, and they are in the middle of a 7-game losing streak. They are losing their games by an average of 7 points per game, and they are 1-10 on the road, the only victory coming in New Jersey over the Nets. With Gilbert Arenas still out with injury (who would have guessed?), and Brendan Haywood also laid up, the Wizards are at a significant talent disadvantage whenever they take the court.
But are the injuries the whole explanation? While Arenas and Haywood are good players, are they the difference between a 4-22 team and a playoff team? Last season the Wizards finished with the fifth seed in the East with a 43-39 record despite the fact that Arenas played in only 13 games, as Caron Butler (20.3 ppg) and Antawn Jamison (21.4 ppg) carried the team. But while Butler and Jamison were playing at an All-Star level, the rest of the team was also contributing, as Haywood (10.6 ppg), DeShawn “I can’t feel my face” Stevenson (11.2 ppg) and Roger Mason (9.1 ppg) were giving the Wizards consistent production night in and night out.
This year, Butler (21.6 ppg) and Jamison (19.8) are still doing their thing, but the rest of the team has fallen off. Haywood has missed the whole season with injuries, Mr. Overrated is down to just 7.4 ppg, and Mason is currently playing very well (12.8 ppg), but for the San Antonio Spurs after the Wizards refused to match the offer sheet last Summer (and he just hit a 3-pointer to beat the Suns as I’m typing this…what a game that was). The Wizards aren’t getting the production they were expecting out of the roster, and that’s the reason that Eddie Jordan was fired despite the injuries.
Still, if you want to find the source of this season’s problems, you have to look at GM Ernie Grunfeld, who has built a team that, even if healthy, has no chance of winning a championship as currently constructed. Red Auerbach couldn’t get these guys into the second round. Want another example? The Wizards will start Dominic McGuire tonight and give him the first chance to guard LeBron James. If you don’t know who Dominc McGuire is, well, welcome to the club.
Last note: Last year, the Cavs were just two games better than the Wizards in the regular season (45-37 v. 43-39). Going into tonight’s game, the Cavaliers are 19 games better (24-4 v. 4-22).
3. What does Nike have up their sleeve for tonight? Nike has unveiled a new Witness tee for tonight’s game, and they are giving away confetti to let the fans mimic LeBron’s now-famous “powder” move before the game. Seems like it could be a neat production, and say what you will about Nike, they know how to drive a marketing campaign. With the exception of some commercials that were banned in China, Nike hasn’t made many missteps with LeBron.
And also in LeBron endorsement notes, have you seen the new LeBron ad for the “where amazing happens” campaign? LeBron singing along with Cindi Lauper’s “Time After Time.” We all know that there’s a notion that LeBron won’t reach his marketing potential until he ends up in New York, but with more ads like this, he’d be marketable in Timbuktu.
Go Cavs. The prediction here is that LeBron is singing to himself for the whole fourth quarter…resting on the bench. Merry Christmas everybody, running notes to (hopefully) follow later tonight.
