Wizards’ Comeback Falls Short

After trailing for the entire second half, the Washington Wizards tied the game up with 28 seconds left, only to have their hearts broken by a Delonte West game-winning three-pointer that gave Cleveland a 100-97 edge.

"We let go of a winnable game," said Gilbert Arenas who’s spinning bank shot tied the game with 28 seconds to go. "The outcome is the way it is. We ended up losing. Delonte West hit the shot in the corner."

The situation was eerily similar to two seasons ago, when the Washington Wizards had their season end when the Cavaliers' Damon Jones hit a shot from the left corner with just two seconds left. While the Wizards live to play another day, Washington will now need to win three games in a row starting with Game 5 on Wednesday in order to advance to Round 2.

"I think the most important thing is that the season comes down to one game," said Antawn Jamison. "As long as I am the captain we are always going to believe we are going to win. We are going to stay focused. Our heads are not down. it is tough to lose a close game like that after you fought back, but we have to do the same thing they did, which is keep your composure, knock down timely shots and try to win one on the road. Everything points to the game on Wednesday. We need to be disciplined and have the confidence that we can take one in Cleveland."

In the loss, the Wizards all spoke of one glaring statistic that forced Washington into an uphill battle all day long.

“Rebounding was very important in this game. A lot of people are going to talk about the shot by Delonte West, but that was only made possible because we lost the rebounding battle," said Brendan Haywood. "We got out-rebounded by 20 and when that happens and a team has more assists than you, you won’t win.”

After knocking off Cleveland by a franchise record 36-point margin on Thursday, the Wizards came out firing and built a 39-31 lead midway through the second quarter. However, Cleveland came back, going on a 20-2 run late in the second quarter to help build a 54-44 halftime lead.

The Wizards fell behind due to poor rebounding. Cleveland out rebounded Washington 26-16 in the first half which lead to a 12-3 disparity in second chance points.

"They got us on the offensive boards. Whether it was poor boxing out or the ball just finding them," said Jamison who led the Wizards with 11 rebounds. "They did a great job of getting second chance opportunities. It seemed like every rebound they got they converted on it."

To start the third, the Cavs pushed their lead out to 15 following a three-pointer by LeBron James. However, the Wizards answered with a 12-0 run to cut the Cavaliers lead to three, at 67-64. During the run, the Wizards forced three turnovers while not missing a shot over the three and a half minute stretch. The Wizards got as close as two at 75-73, but the Cavs ended the quarter on a 5-0 run with both baskets coming on second chance points.

In the fourth, the Wizards continued to hang around, staying within seven points for the entire quarter. Washington made their final run with just under 2:30 to go in the game. Trailing 97-91, Washington got a jumper from Butler then a pair of free throw by Arenas to cut the deficit to two points. Following a miss by James, Arenas drove down the court and banked home a spinning jumper that tied the score at 97-97. It was at that point where West made the game-winning shot to silence a sell-out crowd at Verizon Center.