2008-05-15T16:46:48Z tag:blog.washingtonpost.com,2008:/wizardsinsider//230 Copyright (c) 2008, WashingtonPost.Newsweek Interactive 2008-05-15T16:46:48Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2008-05-15:/wizardsinsider/2008/05/a_lebron_james_team_is_never_d.html

A LeBron James team may never be desperate - his words, not mine - but road teams in this round of the playoffs? Every team except Detroit certainly looks the part away from the friendly confines of home. It is amazing what slipping on a home white uniform (or home yellows for the Lakers) can do for an NBA team in the second round of the playoffs. That simple act, combined with the support of...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Michael Lee 2008-05-13T18:14:25Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2008-05-13:/wizardsinsider/2008/05/big_three_playing_small_on_roa.html

I used the phrase "so-called Big Three" in my earlier post because Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen have come up extremely small on the road this postseason. Garnett, Allen and Pierce were a combined 3-for-10 for six points in the fourth quarter last night in the Celtics fifth consecutive playoff road loss. Pierce was only one of the three to actually score in the final period. Garnett had two points in the second...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Michael Lee 2008-05-13T14:43:46Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2008-05-13:/wizardsinsider/2008/05/home_court_rules.html

For some reason, the Washington Wizards, Philadelphia 76ers, Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets didn't get the memo, but this is the postseason of Homecourt Advantage. It hit me last night, right about the time LeBron James jackhammered that powerful and stupendous dunk over Kevin Garnett and then later when Anderson Varejao hit back-to-back jump shots during a painful-to-watch, 88-77 victory that allowed the Cleveland Cavaliers even their series with Boston at two games apiece. Don't...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Michael Lee 2008-05-09T19:40:04Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2008-05-09:/wizardsinsider/2008/05/what_lies_ahead.html

One of the most interesting things to come out of Ernie Grunfeld's annual postseason presser yesterday was the answer he gave to a question I asked about how he would respond to passionate fans of this franchise who are frustrated over three straight first round exits and want him to do something drastic. The answer is long but I felt that it was informative. Ernie: "I love the reaction because that means there is...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Ivan Carter 2008-05-08T17:04:13Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2008-05-08:/wizardsinsider/2008/05/ernie_speaks_today.html

Just wanted to put something up letting folks know that Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld will address the media today in a press conference at the VC. I'll be writing on it for tomorrow's paper. In his latest blog, posted yesterday, Gilbert Arenas said he wants Antawn Jamison here next year or he won't come back. Nothing really new there - he said very much the same thing in Los Angeles back in March. However,...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Ivan Carter 2008-05-05T17:38:40Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2008-05-05:/wizardsinsider/2008/05/monday_update_4.html

The players held their exit meetings with Coach Eddie Jordan and his staff and are in the process of doing the same with President Ernie Grunfeld today and tomorrow. Ernie is expected to address the media on Wednsday which is typical. He likes to meet with each player indivdually, meet with Jordan and the coaches and let the emotions surrounding the season's final game flow a little before discussing what' s next with us....Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Ivan Carter 2008-05-03T19:34:42Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2008-05-03:/wizardsinsider/2008/05/summer_time_is_here.html

Before the series began, I said my two X-factors would be Wally Szczerbiak for the Cavs and Roger Mason Jr. for the Wizards. Last night, as the Cavs closed the Wizards out for the third straight year at Verizon Center, Wally World came through in a big way by making six three-pointers and putting up a series-high 26 points. I've been baffled at his shooting struggles since the trade. Normally, when he gets his...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Ivan Carter 2008-05-03T02:16:54Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2008-05-02:/wizardsinsider/2008/05/an_all_too_familiar_end.html

Another year, another Wizards playoff exit thanks to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Game 6 went the same as Games 2 and 3 with one team dominating for the better part of the night and strolling to victory. So now the Wizards head into the offseason with a laundry list of issues: What's to be done with Arenas? What about Jamison? Can this team take the next step as presently constructed? So we open it up to...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

washingtonpost.com Sports Editor 2008-05-03T00:11:30Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2008-05-02:/wizardsinsider/2008/05/5648_cavs_at_the_half.html

Cleveland is moving the ball well and knocking down shots and that the Cavs were able to use a 15-0 second quarter run to take this lead. The key is Daniel Gibson, who has 15 points on 6 of 10 shooting. The Cavs are shooting 53.5 percent. If the Wizards don't start getting some hands in faces, this one is over. To the delight of the sold-out crowd here the VC, LeBron James was...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Ivan Carter 2008-05-02T22:53:57Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2008-05-02:/wizardsinsider/2008/05/game_6.html

The NBA's Stu Jackson explained the decision to suspend Darius Songaila in a conference call with reporters earlier today. It was farely standard stuff until I asked Jackson whether James would have been suspended for this game had he caught Darius in the face with a hand. Jackson, who I presume kept a straight face: "Again, we evaluate each of these plays based upon the merits and not the inviduals. If the roles were...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Ivan Carter 2008-05-02T18:13:36Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2008-05-02:/wizardsinsider/2008/05/songaila_suspended.html

The NBA has suspended Wizards forward Darius Songaila for tonight's Game 6. Songaila was given a technical foul during the first half of Game 5 after hitting Cavaliers star LeBron James in the face after the two became tangled up underneath the Washington basket. Songaila was not given a flagrant foul at the time of the play and Wizards' Coach Eddie Jordan argued that he did not deserve the technical either. Songaila said the...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Ivan Carter 2008-05-01T23:31:44Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2008-05-01:/wizardsinsider/2008/05/on_to_game_6.html

A few good quotes from the day: - Last night, Charles Barkley repeatedly said that the Wizards were about to be sent to the golf course for the summer by the Cavs. Today, Caron Butler was asked about that. "I don't golf," Butler said with a very straight face. -Darius Songaila was given a technical for hitting LeBron James in the face with a stray elbow last night. Neither he nor Eddie Jordan felt...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Ivan Carter 2008-05-01T15:29:00Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2008-05-01:/wizardsinsider/2008/05/breaking_down_game_5.html

Here's Michael Lee's audio breakdown of the Wizards win over the Cavs in Wednesday's Game 5 ......Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Jon DeNunzio 2008-05-01T03:58:23Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2008-04-30:/wizardsinsider/2008/04/butler_brings_it.html

That is what an all-star is supposed to do. I wrote yesterday that in order for the Wizards to win tonight, they needed to rebound and get a big time performance from one of their all-stars: Caron Butler or Antawn Jamison. The were out-boarded by only one and Butler came through with 32 points, nine rebounds and five assists. He scored the game winner and also earned a little payback on LeBron James by...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Ivan Carter 2008-05-01T01:27:35Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2008-04-30:/wizardsinsider/2008/04/wizards_bring_it_back_home.html

Caron Butler's driving lay-up with 3.9 seconds left coupled with LeBron James's miss at the buzzer leads to an 88-87 win and keeps the Wizards alive in the playoffs. Tonight's game featured a little bit of everything from this series: hard fouls, technicals, a wee bit of overacting by LeBron and some resilient play. So can we expect to see more of the same for Friday night's Game 6 at Verizon or will it devolve...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

washingtonpost.com Sports Editor