posted April 21, 2008 at 13:23 in NBA Articles

Washington Wizards (43-39) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (45-37)

Monday, April 21st --- Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland --- 7:00pm EST

NBA Betting Line: Cleveland -1.5 (186.5)

All you sportsbook online basketball sports betting faithful saw Washington try to bash, bully and bust King James off his high horse, and then saw Lebron respond by showing everyone exactly why he’s the Man on Saturday. LB23 jacked up 32 points after the Wizards said the Cavs were overrated. It’s still the first game, but Washington needs to earn some respect after letting Lebron gain that feared momentum. The last time LBJ played with a chip onhis shoulder, he muscled the Cavs through to the NBA Finals.

Now James is as confident as ever. And while he wields a 6-foot-9, 260 pound frame, don’t expect the NBA’s leading scorer to be terrified of anyone that the Wizards can throw at them. Not that I imagine Stevenson of the Wizards isn’t going to be doing anymore chirping against Lebron.

The East is a much better Conference overall, so it’s not an open-and-shut case that the Cavs will repeat as Eastern Conference Champions. But the fear is starting to swell with Lebron building steam.

Arenas played as well as he could, considering he’s missed 66 total games, but fouled out after 27 minutes with 24 points. If that’s Agent Zero on a slow night, then Cleveland had better be ready for a showdown when Gilbert is back at one-hundred percent. It is obvious that Stevenson and Antawn Jamieson can’t carry the load entirely anymore. They need Agent Zero and Tough Juice at their best.

And so do the Wizards betting faithful. Washington is 0-5 SU in their last five meeting with Cleveland. Sure, revenge would be nice considering that Cleveland has ousted Washington from the playoffs in the past two seasons, but is it plausible?

What I love about the Wizards is that they are absolutely fearless, and they know that they can score in the clutch with more guys on the roster than Arenas. That makes them dangerous in the long run, but they have to keep games close. And regardless of how they fared in the regular season, that still means they need Gilbert Arenas back at 100%. I love him coming off the bench, but more minutes, less mistakes and consistent scoring have to be in place before I lobby for their support in the betting community.

NBA Furious Free Pick: Cleveland -1.5 (OVER)

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