Game 1 Notes

Washington vs. Cleveland: The Wizards couldn't score in crunch time, and the Cavaliers did. The game was even throughout, but when it came down to the last minute of the game, the Cavs gave it to their go to man and he delivered. The Wizards tried to score but weren't able to make any baskets. If you want to know what is needed from a true franchise player, look at what Lebron did. 30 points, including six big ones when they were needed most. The Wizards guards, other than Gilbert Arenas, were terrible. Deshawn Stevenson, Antonio Daniels, and Roger Mason Jr. shot a combined 3-for-17 from the field; if they'd done anything the Wizards could have pulled off the win here. Brendan Haywood played very well (15 points, 10 rebounds) but was limited by foul trouble. Even though they won, this game doesn't offer much hope for the Cavs long term playoff hopes. Ben Wallace wasn't much good (zero points and six rebounds in a very telling 23 minutes), and no one outside of Lebron, Zydrunas ilgauksas, and Daniel Gibson were able to hit their shots with any consistency. If the 'Zards can keep Haywood on the floor and hit a few more shots they should win this thing.

Phoenix vs. San Antonio:

Timmy added to the legacy yesterday with his game saving three pointer; who'd have predicted that? For anyone who thought he was starting to slip, this was your notice otherwise. Duncan's 40 points and 15 rebounds led the way to victory while Manu Ginobli sunk the game winning shot with less than two seconds on the clock in double overtime. The Suns may view this game as a missed opportunity if they lose the series; they had three to five point leads on several occasions and flat out could not hold them. Foul trouble was a problem; Shaq and Amare had eleven fouls between the two of them, and once Amare fouled out the Suns had problems scoring. He'll have to get better with that if they want to pull the series out.

New Orleans vs. Dallas

The Mavericks were looking like the experienced old hand laying down the young upstart for a little while....then the second half happened. The Hornets outscored them 64-40 in the second half and won by twelve. The Maverick trio of Jerry Stackhouse, Josh Howard, and Devean George shot a combined 7-for-32...yikes. That was enough to undo Dirk Nowitzki's 31 point, 10 rebound day and Jason Kidd's near triple double. For the Hornets, Chris Paul showed he wouldn't shrink under the spotlight by going for 35 points, 10 assists, 4 steals, and only one turnover. Depth is still a concern, though; only two Hornets reserves got any real minutes and if Tyson Chandler or David West get in foul trouble, that could be a real problem for them.

Utah vs. Houston

If the Rockets don't start shooting better, this could be over really quick. The Houston guards shot a combined 12 for 45, and the entire team shot an abysmal 36.7%. Take away Shane Battier's 7 for 7 and it drops to 30.6%. That's how you get swept, ladies and gentlemen. With no Yao Ming to get them easy baskets you can expect more where that came from. On the flip side, the Jazz got 20 points and 16 rebounds from Carlos Boozer to go along with 21 from Andrei Kirilenko and Deron Williams' 20 points and 10 assists. The Rockets look to be done here. It's only a matter of how long it will take.