No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 5 Washington Wizards

Agent Zero will be the X factor

By Loren Jorgensen
Deseret News
Published: Saturday, April 19, 2008 12:49 a.m. MDT
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Last season: Cavaliers lost to Spurs in NBA finals; Wizards lost to Cavs in first round of playoffs.

Overview: This is a rematch of a rematch. The Cavs and Wizards have met both of the previous two postseasons with LeBron James' guys coming out on top on each occasion.

A difference this year could be Agent Zero. The Wizards didn't have a healthy Gilbert Arenas last year in the playoffs. Arenas missed much of this season due to injury, too. But he is back and is always capable of exploding. Add forwards Caron Butler (20.3 ppg) and Antawn Jamison (21.4 ppg) and the Wizards may have enough firepower to end King James' playoff run early.

LeBron, meanwhile, has a new cast of characters to try to help him get back to the NBA finals. Gone are Drew Gooden, Donyell Marshall and Larry Hughes. Now he has point guard Delonte West, defensive-minded big man Ben Wallace and veteran forwards Joe Smith and Wally Szczerbiak.

On a side note, this series features a pair of starting shooting guards who used to play for the Jazz. DeShawn Stevenson averages 11.2 points for the Wizards, while Devin Brown is scoring at a 7.5 clip for the Cavs. Then there is ex-Jazzman Sasha Pavlovic, but he is unlikely to play for Cleveland due to a sprained left ankle.

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Prediction: James is having an MVP-like year and can take over any series, but the Wizards have better balance. Washington in six.

E-mail: lojo@desnews.com

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Washington's Gilbert Arenas, left, drives against Philadelphia 76ers' Andre Miller earlier this season. With Arenas back in action, the Wizards should give the Cavs a run for their money. (Nick Wass, Associated Press)
Nick Wass, Associated Press
Washington's Gilbert Arenas, left, drives against Philadelphia 76ers' Andre Miller earlier this season. With Arenas back in action, the Wizards should give the Cavs a run for their money.