The Seven Keys To Game Two

So far, so good. Playing with more intensity, focus, and physicality than they had in a long time, the Cavaliers withstood Washington’s hard opening punch and prevailed in Game One, 93-86, amidst a bona-fide playoff atmosphere at the Q. This means they’re only halfway to doing what a team in their position is supposed to do- take the first two games of the series and maintain home-court advantage. It won’t be easy.

Here are seven keys to Monday’s Game Two, in no particular order of importance:

Zero, not Hero

The Hibachi nearly single-handedly put the Wizards in command by hitting four consecutive three-pointers- including the clock-beating thirty-foot bomb at the end of the first period- during Washington’s early run to a double-digit lead. But he flagged noticeably late, reaching on defense and missing his last four shots as the Cavaliers took over down the stretch. I’m not sure exactly how Zero whiled away the hours during his convalescence, but judging from his Khalid El-Amin-esque frame, it certainly doesn’t look as if he was pushing away from the table with much alacrity. Eddie Jordan’s 25 minute-only rule has already gone by the boards- Zero played 27 on Saturday and will presumably play more as the series progresses- and it remains to be seen if he can muster the stamina to be as effective at the end of games as he as at the beginning. Knocking him on his ample behind a couple of times might not be a horrible idea.

Here’s an interesting tidbit regarding Zero’s shaky health. Apparently he sprained his right wrist late in Game One. He’ll play on Monday: how effectively he’ll be is anyone’s guess.

Three the Hard Way

Normally middle-of-the-pack from three-point range (36 percent, 17^th in the Association), the boys from the capital were positively brick-tastic on Saturday. Members of the Wizards not named Gilbert Arenas went 2-of-19 from three-point range, with Antawn Jamison and DeShawn Stevenson missing fourteen of sixteen shots between them. Cleveland’s defensive deserves some credit here, but Washington missed on plenty of open looks as well. The Artists Formerly Known as the Bullets shouldn’t be counted on to continue shooting such a low percentage from downtown, but holding them below their season average is an attainable goal.

Win the Fourth Quarter!

That’s what the Cavaliers did on Saturday, outscoring the Wizards 28-17 and holding them to 4-of-20 from the field in the final period. The Cavaliers will need to at least come close to duplicating that kind of effort on Monday. There won’t be any blowouts in this series, and whoever wins the fourth quarter will probably win the game.

Help Wanted

Zydrunas Ilgauskas shrugged off the bad memories of his previous encounters with personal nemesis Brendan Haywood to drop in 22 points along with eleven rebounds and a team-best +22 plus-minus. (He also traveled like Phineas Fogg all afternoon, but we won’t talk about that.) Unfortunately the big fella was just about the only member of the supporting cast to really step up on the offensive end. Boobie Gibson, Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak had their moments in Game One, but they went a combined 9-of-29 from the floor, and needless to say, that isn’t good enough. One of these three is going to have to find the range and consistently make Washington pay for collapsing on LeBron. It’s the same old story: the shots will be there, but someone has to knock them down.

Hey, Joe!

The only points Ben Wallace scored on Saturday were aesthetic. Sporting the Afro for the first time since coming to Cleveland, Big Ben didn’t even attempt a shot and was thoroughly worked over by Antawn Jamison, who out-rebounded him 19-6 and did pretty much whatever he wanted against the four-time Defensive Player of the Year. Meanwhile Joe Smith cooled his heels, playing all of eight minutes while the King’s support staff clanged away. With the problems the Cavaliers have had shooting the ball, Coach Milk Dud might be advised to give Joe a little more run in Game Two, seeing as Big Ben’s days of defensive dominance are an increasingly distant memory.

A Message to Anderson Varejao

Andy, I knew Hot Rod Williams. Hot Rod Williams was a friend of mine. You, sir, are no Hot Rod Williams. If you have an open ten-footer or a put-back opportunity, by all means take it. But those ball-fakes and dream-shakes are for the birds, and frankly, you are the last man- or second to last, behind Ben Wallace- who needs to be trying to create offense at crunch time. Your shots-to-flops ratio on Saturday was 8-0, and that is unacceptable. Stop thinking you’re some kind of scorer, and start playing within yourself. Your team, and our nerves, will be the better for it.

Let’s Get Physical

Nobody is ever going to accuse this Cavaliers team of being the second coming of the Detroit Bad Boys of the ‘80s, but they showed a willingness to answer the physical gauntlet Washington threw down on Saturday. They were particularly effective in punishing Antawn Jamison, who looked decidedly the worse for wear in the fourth quarter and was ineffective late due at least in part to the pounding he received from Cleveland’s defenders. The Wizards like to talk tough, but they’re studio gangsters- they don’t have a hard-nosed soul, and they can be muscled. The Cavaliers need to keep muscling.

Getting the jump on this series was fantastic, but nobody should be feeling cocksure just yet. Two years ago the Wizards stole Game Two in the Q after losing the series opener, and they’re more than capable of doing it again. But if Zero’s legs fail him late, if Washington’s outside game is stymied, if one of Cleveland’s complementary shooters steps up, if the fourth quarter belongs to Wine & Gold, if Joe Smith is brought out of mothballs, if Andy gains a renewed understanding of what he can and can’t do on a basketball court, and if the Cavaliers match Washington’s physical intensity, Game Two will belong to our boys… and so will this series.