Three-Folding: Wizards' Stars Have Not Shined

WITH LITTLE LEFT TO TALK ABOUT, maybe the Wizards will focus on hitting some shots.

Washington started the playoffs with Gilbert Arenas' draining 3-pointers while his teammates traded hard fouls with Cleveland. That lasted all of one half.

Though the Wizards have kept up the hard-fouling part, it seems the Cavs have been the only team scoring. They come to town for Thursday night's Game 3 holding a 2-0 series lead.

"For us to come out undisciplined and unfocused is a big disappointment," Wizards forward Antawn Jamison said. "We need to find a way to get into a rhythm when the game is going their way. We need to attack the rim better."

While Washington's complementary players have talked (DeShawn Stevenson) and fouled (Brendan Haywood) their way into the headlines, the Wizards' stars haven't made much of an impact.

Jamison, Caron Butler and Gilbert Arenas have combined to average just 43.5 points in the first two games, making just 33 of 86 shots.

On the other end of the court, LeBron James is averaging 31 points, eight assists and 7.5 rebounds while stretching his career playoff record against Washington to 10-2. Not bad for a guy Stevenson called overrated.

James also covered Arenas more in Game 2. The 6-foot-9 swingman helped hold the Wizards star — who struggled with a sprained wrist — to just seven points on 2-of-10 shooting.

If they want to get back in the series, the Wizards will need to pay less attention to defaming James and more to making shots. Washington — which set a team record with 575 3's in the regular season — was just 9-for-40 from behind the arc in the first two games and made only 39 percent of its shots from the floor.

"The series is not over with," Jamison said. "They did what they were supposed to do ... and now we have to defend our home court."

Written by Express contributor Eric Brandner
Photo by Preston Keres/The Washington Post