Wizards-Cavaliers Preview

By TAYLOR BECHTOLD
Posted Oct 29 2012 2:58PM

One franchise point guard will begin his quest to lead a team out of the NBA doldrums Tuesday night, while another will have to wait a couple more weeks.

John Wall won't be able to go for the Washington Wizards in this season opener in Cleveland, but the Cavaliers will have Kyrie Irving in their starting lineup less than a week after the reigning rookie of the year had four wisdom teeth removed.

Irving, who averaged 18.5 points, 5.4 assists and 3.7 rebounds a year ago, was Cleveland's highest-scoring point guard since Terrell Brandon averaged 19.5 points in 1996-97.

He's become the new face of a franchise that has gone 40-108 since LeBron James left for Miami. Still, Irving believes the Cavs are ready to compete despite finishing 21-45 a year ago - last in the Central Division and one game better than the Wizards.

"If we come to play every single night, I feel like we can play with the best of them on both ends of the floor," said Irving, who lost about five pounds after having the teeth extracted. "Whether anybody else believes that, it doesn't matter. It only matters what the Cavaliers organization believes. I believe we are a playoff team."

Wall, the No. 1 overall pick a year before Irving, was assuming a similar leadership role with the Wizards, but he's expected to miss the first month of the regular season with a knee injury.

Washington will use A.J. Price and Jannero Pargo at the point for the opening month after cutting Shelvin Mack on Sunday. Price started six of the team's eight preseason games at the point, averaging 9.6 points.

"Three guys have been fighting for that position, so we've been working hard every day and pushing each other," Price said. "The coaches have been telling me to keep playing my game. I've been trying to bring energy and keep the team together."

Wall isn't the only prominent Wizard who won't suit up Tuesday. Nene, whom Washington acquired at last season's trade deadline in a three-way deal that sent JaVale McGee to Denver, is currently battling plantar fasciitis and it's unclear when he'll be ready to play.

That means the Wizards' starting frontcourt will likely feature new additions Trevor Ariza and Emeka Okafor along with second-year forward Trevor Booker.

Third overall pick Bradley Beal, who averaged 11.3 points in the preseason, is expected to share time at shooting guard with Jordan Crawford, who poured in 49 points in two games against the Cavs a year ago.

Cleveland was already one of the league's youngest teams before second-leading scorer Antawn Jamison left for the Lakers, and it added a pair of high-profile rookies in the draft in Dion Waiters and Tyler Zeller.

The Cavaliers reportedly had their eyes on Beal but settled for Waiters at No. 4 before trading three picks for Zeller, Dallas' selection at No. 17.

Waiters started four of the team's seven preseason games, but shot just 34.4 percent from the field. Zeller averaged 8.4 points and 4.7 boards while coming off the bench in all but one game.

New acquisition C.J. Miles, who averaged 11.9 points in the preseason after spending his first seven years in Utah, should also see plenty of playing time.

The Cavs, who ranked 29th in the NBA in field-goal percentage (42.2) last season, are looking for a step forward from second-year big man Tristan Thompson. The No. 4 pick in 2011 averaged 8.2 points and 6.5 rebounds last season.

The Wizards took two of three from the Cavaliers a year ago, including a 96-85 victory April 25 in their only trip to Quicken Loans Arena. Irving played only 10 minutes of that contest and sat out one of the other two meetings.

Cleveland center Anderson Varejao, who missed the final 41 games last season with a fractured wrist, has missed the team's last six games versus Washington.

Irving, Varejao pace Cavaliers over Wizards 94-84

By TOM WITHERS
Posted Oct 30 2012 11:04PM

CLEVELAND (AP) Anderson Varejao was already having the most prolific rebounding game of his career when he looked at the scoreboard and noticed he was close to his first triple-double.

One point, one assist was all he needed.

"I was like, `Whoa, I wish I had a little bit more time,"' he said with a smile.

On a night when Cleveland unveiled its backcourt of the future, Varejao did a little bit of everything for the Cavaliers, who blew a 16-point lead in the second half before holding on and beating the short-handed Washington Wizards 94-84 on Tuesday night in the first game on the NBA schedule.

Playing his first home game after missing the final 41 last season with a broken wrist, Varejao had a career-high 23 rebounds. Kyrie Irving scored 29 points and rookie Dion Waiters added 17 for the Cavs, who needed big plays from Irving and Varejao in the final minutes to hold off the Wizards.

Varejao, the Cavs' 6-foot-11 frizzy-haired Brazilian bundle of energy, added nine points and had a career-high nine assists, two setting up dunks by Tristan Thompson in the last two minutes.

Irving, who typically dishes during the game, handed his teammate a big compliment afterward.

"It's the greatest feeling in the world just having somebody that you know what you're going to get from them every single night," Irving said of Varejao. "He almost had a triple-double, that's typical Andy."

Jordan Crawford scored 11 points to lead the Wizards, who were without star point guard John Wall, power forward Nene and forward Kevin Seraphin. Wall, the former No. 1 overall pick, is expected to be out until late November with a knee injury and the Wizards missed him badly as rookie guard Bradley Beal and AJ Price combined to shoot 4 of 21.

Beal scored eight points - all in the first half - and Emeka Okafor had 10 points. Washington coach Randy Wittman has high hopes for his young team, but he won't know what he has until he gets Wall and Nene, who is out with plantar fasciitis in his left foot, on the court.

"That wasn't the team I've seen the last four weeks," Wittman said. "I watched them do things tonight that I didn't ever see these guys do. They (Cavaliers) dictated the tempo, which I thought was key. We can't get beat up on the boards like we did (54-39) or shoot free throws like we did (12 of 20) and have a realistic chance to win."

Irving, the NBA's reigning rookie of the year, began his second season with a strong performance alongside Waiters, a surprising No. 4 overall pick by the Cavs. Waiters didn't start a game at Syracuse, but coach Byron Scott has been impressed with his progress and wanted to pair his two young guards together from the outset.

They played well in spurts, combining for 46 points and eight rebounds. But the duo made enough mistakes to keep Scott from giving them too much freedom.

"Dion is starting to understand what we're doing," said Scott, who has been demanding of Waiters during training camp and the exhibition season. "I thought he did a good job."

The Cavs seemed to be on their way to a relatively routine win, but in a league where players are fond of saying "every team makes a run," the Wizards made theirs.

Down 61-45 in the third quarter and looking flat, Washington opened the fourth with its 14-0 spurt, taking a 76-74 lead when Jannero Pargo drained a 3-pointer from the corner. The Wizards rallied while Irving was getting some rest, and it wasn't long before Scott sent his young star back in to help restore order.

"I told Kyrie at the eight-minute mark that we have two timeouts left," Scott said. "He patted me on the leg and said, `Don't worry about it Coach, I got it."'

Irving's driving layup in traffic gave Cleveland an 82-80 lead, and he calmly stepped up and drained a 21-foot jumper to put the Cavaliers ahead 86-80.

With the Cavs up by four, Varejao fed Thompson underneath for a dunk to make it 88-84. Crawford made two free throws for Washington, and on Cleveland's next possession, Irving made a spin move in the lane and passed it to Varejao, who then upstaged his slick passing teammate with a feed to Thompson for another dunk.

Irving then rebounded a miss by the Wizards and it was his turn to pick up an assist to Thompson.

Scott was thrilled with the way his young team - with an average age of 24.9 years - responded down the stretch.

"They showed a lot of heart," he said. "They showed a lot of guts."

Notes: According to the Cavs, Varejao is the first player to get at least nine points, 23 rebounds and nine assists in a season opener since Wilt Chamberlain in 1967. ... Thompson finished with five assists. He had just 27 last season. ... Washington was only 8 of 32 on 3-pointers, and missed some big ones in the fourth. ... Browns rookie QB Brandon Weeden, a big Oklahoma City fan, and RB Trent Richardson, sat behind the Cavs' bench and they got a huge ovation when shown on the giant scoreboard in the second quarter. They sat with Cavs owner Dan Gilbert in the second half. ... Before the game, Gilbert said he regrets guaranteeing the Cavs would win an NBA title before LeBron James, who left Cleveland as a free agent in 2010. "Looking back now, that probably was not the most brilliant thing I've ever done in my life," Gilbert said.

Notebook: Cavaliers 94, Wizards 84

Brian Dulik, for NBA.com
Posted Tue Oct 30, 2012 11:59 PM - Updated Tue Oct 30, 2012 11:59 PM

THE FACTS: Point guard Kyrie Irving scored a game-high 29 points, while center Anderson Varejao amassed nine points, a career-best 23 rebounds and nine assists as the Cleveland Cavaliers held on for a 94-84 victory over the Washington Wizards. Rookie shooting guard Dion Waiters added 17 points for Cleveland, while Washington rookie shooting guard Bradley Beal scored eight points. The Wizards were led by shooting guard Jordan Crawford, who had 11 points and five assists off the bench in the first game of the 2012-2013 NBA regular season.

QUOTABLE: "I asked the referees if we could play five more minutes -- even though the game was already won -- so Andy could get another point and another assist. He's just so valuable to us because of all the things that he does on both ends of the floor." -- Cavaliers coach Byron Scott

THE STAT: Cleveland fan favorite Varejao lived up to his "Wild Thing" nickname by dominating the glass and making a run at his first NBA triple-double. The mop-topped Brazilian tied the Cavaliers' franchise record with 12 offensive rebounds, and set career highs with 23 total boards and nine assists. "It's exciting to be back out on the court, exciting to be playing here for these fans," he said. "I gave everything I had tonight." Varejao has spent his entire, nine-year, 445-game career with Cleveland.

TURNING POINT: After Washington scored 14 straight points to start the fourth quarter and take a 76-74 lead, Scott rushed Irving, Waiters and power forward Tristan Thompson back onto the court. Cleveland immediately responded with a four-point play -- featuring a 3-pointer by Waiters and an "and-one" free throw by Varejao -- and ended the contest on a 20-8 run. "We just didn't execute down the stretch," Beal said. "With the way this game went, I'm ready to play tomorrow."

QUOTABLE II: "Andy is a horse, man. He might win the Kentucky Derby by himself. I might have to saddle up and try and ride him to victory. That's how strong of a leader he is." -- Cavaliers' Tristan Thompson

HOT: Varejao became the first player in NBA history to collect at least nine points, 23 rebounds, 12 offensive boards and nine assists in a season opener. He also is the first NBA player to post those numbers, period, since 76ers power forward Charles Barkley on March 20, 1987. "That guy did work for us and everything on the floor," Waiters said. "Andy is a great teammate and a great basketball player." ... Thompson, who had 27 assists in his entire rookie season, dished out a career-high five helpers. The second-year pro also posted the lone double-double on the night with 12 points and 10 rebounds. ... Wizards center Earl Barron only played the final 16 minutes, but scored eight points and grabbed a team-high eight boards.

NOT: Washington's starting backcourt of Beal and point guard A.J. Price combined to shoot 4-for-21 from the field, missing all eight of their two-point field goal attempts. "I felt good mentally and physically, but I wish I had done better," said Beal, the No. 3 pick in the NBA Draft out of Florida. ... Wizards backup guards Crawford and Jannero Pargo were 6-for-19 on field goals, including 1-for-10 beyond the arc. ... Washington starting power forward Trevor Booker had four points, one rebound, four fouls and four turnovers in 17 minutes. ... Cavaliers starting small forward Alonzo Gee had four points on 2-for-9 shooting with five fouls and three turnovers in 34 minutes.

QUOTABLE III: "Varejao at times just dominated our bigs. We can't get beat up on the boards like we did or shoot free throws like we did and give yourself a realistic chance to win." -- Wizards coach Randy Wittman

GOOD MOVE: Irving aggressively looked to score at all times, but made sure he was only taking good shots. The reigning NBA Rookie of the Year was 11-for-20 on field goals, 3-for-6 on 3-pointers, and 4-for-5 on free throws in 35 strong minutes. "They have one of the best point guards in the league in Kyrie," Price said. "Even though he's young, he's real tough." Irving also had six rebounds, three assists and one blocked shot, leading all players with a plus-23 on-court ratio.

BAD MOVE: Scott opted to start the fourth quarter with an all-reserve lineup of rookie center Tyler Zeller, power forward Luke Walton, small forward C.J. Miles, shooting guard Daniel Gibson, and point guard Donald Sloan. Cleveland began the period with a 74-62 lead, but saw it vanish in exactly 3:48 thanks to that ill-advised quintet. North Carolina product Zeller made his NBA debut, while Miles played in his initial game with the Cavaliers.

NOTABLE: Waiters -- the No. 4 overall pick in the NBA Draft out of Syracuse -- paced the Cavaliers with three steals, but did not have an assist. ... The Wizards were without standout point guard John Wall (left patella stress injury), center Nene (left plantar fasciitis) and power forward Kevin Seraphin (right calf strain), but Wittman didn't use their absences as an excuse. "That wasn't the team I've seen in the last four weeks," the visibly unhappy coach said. "I watched them do things tonight that I didn't ever see these guys do." ... Washington was outrebounded 54-39 and shot 3-for-21 on 3-pointers in the final three quarters. ... Cleveland debuted its alternate home jersey, which is gold and features dark red "Cavs" lettering. ... The Cavaliers also unveiled their new court at Quicken Loans Arena, featuring an enormous "C" around the center circle.

UP NEXT: For the Wizards, Saturday vs. Boston, Nov. 7 @ Boston, Nov. 9 vs. Milwaukee. For the Cavaliers, Friday vs. Chicago, Saturday @ Milwaukee, Monday at L.A. Clippers.

• Wizards: Nene, Seraphin, Wall
• Cavaliers: Harangody, Pargo

• Wizards: Crawford
• Cavaliers: Thompson

• Lead Changes: 5
• Times Tied: 6

• Arena: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH
• Officials: #25 Tony Brothers, #38 Michael Smith, #66 Haywoode Workman
• Attendance: 20562
• Duration: 2:09