A night at MCI Center as Cavaliers fall

 I was able to make a visit to MCI Center for basketball for the first time for the Cleveland Cavaliers 101-98 loss to the Washington Wizards last night.
Antawn Jamison led Cleveland with 29 points as the Cavaliers lost their fifth game in a row.
Cleveland plays Utah tomorrow night at the Q for their next game...

Today's post will be a bit different as I write about the game and going/being there and I'll add some points on the game as we go along....

The atmosphere was totally different than going to a Capitals game.
Perhaps that is because the Wizards are pretty bad and the place was maybe half full,but the Wizards fans did not have a chip on their shoulder like the Capitals fans often did.
One thing that I did notice about the difference between the two teams and maybe I just was not checked in the past was that the Wizards security almost "pat you down" when entered and test you with a metal detecting wand,where the Capitals did not.
Perhaps I just missed the Caps test,but that was different.

The worst part of the evening was that the Metro stop at Shady Grove and the two stops following that one were closed for the weekend,so one had to take shuttle buses and the initial ride was an interminable one.
The return trip was far smoother due to lighter traffic,but that first one?Whew....

The game itself was about what one would expect from a game with two young and less than solid teams-close,competitive,but not always well played.
Ryan and I talked basketball throughout and realized that as I faded away from the college game,I did not know some of these guys on Washington.
Ryan also had a very perceptive thought that the only real difference between the two teams was the reliable scoring of Antwan Jamison every night.
To me,that is all the more reason to try to move him before the trade deadline next Thursday,if the team truly wants to improve for the long haul.
I think a healthy Anderson Varejao adds something that the "Bullets" lack as well,but Varejao,of course,is out with an injury.

Ryan was not impressed with Tristan Thompson,who did not score a point in over twenty minutes of play and Jan Vesely,who Washington picked two picks after Thompson,ran the floor well and slammed home a few spectacular dunks looked strong in the game and Ryan questioned Thompson over Vesely.
Yet,looking at the numbers-Thompson is averaging seven points and six boards to Vesely's three of each,so one can see how one night is a small slice of data to look at.

The Kyrie Irving-John Wall clash of young point guards saw both play well,but my evaluation of the promising pair is this-Irving is a point guard that can score,Wall is a scoring guard playing the point.
Over the long haul for a contending team,I would think that Irving's skills are a little more team centric than Wall's,but I can appreciate what Wall will bring to a team.

Glad to see former Xavier Musketeer Jordan Crawford developing into a reliable player on the wing for Washington.
Crawford led all scorers with 31 points on 13 of 22 shooting.
Crawford is the type of player that Cleveland needs to open up the lane for Kyrie Irving as currently the team is lacking a consistent type of outside threat to avoid packing the lane....

Finally,the last shot.
Cleveland needs a three to tie with a nick under six seconds to go.
Time out-Cleveland.
Ryan turns to me and asks "who do you have take the last shot?"
Me: "The guy that I would have take it won't be who takes it".
Ryan: "Who then?"
Me:"It'll be Anthony Parker,I've seen this film before"
Anthony Parker gets the inbounds pass,tries to dribble a bit,which removes any chance of an open man getting a look,jumper-no good......
Ryan: "Guess you called that one".
I would rather have been wrong.

Thanks to Ryan and Corey for a great evening and for going with me...

Back later with the Devils 1-0 loss to the Islanders...

Photo Credits:AP Photo