posted May 2, 2008 at 16:07 EST in NBA Betting Trends

The Washington Wizards, (45-42 SU, 48-39 ATS, 46-41 O/U), say they are finally tired of all the talking going on in their heated series against their Eastern Conference rivals, the Cleveland Cavaliers, (48-39 SU, 40-47 ATS, 39-46-2 O/U), and more specifically, superstar LeBron James.

"We just said, 'It's time to stop all the talking.' A lot of guys were trying to defend themselves as far as this and that. But it wasn't working," Wizards All-Star forward Antawn Jamison said, "We said: 'The ultimate change-around is for us to just be quiet and find a way to come back from 3-1 and win the series.' I think they finally got it."

The Wizards won Game 5 in the BetUS Sportsbook, 88-87 despite being on the road, to pull within one victory of tying the series at 3-2 and force tonight’s Game 6 matchup, thanks to one of the few players on their roster who has kept all of his words to himself, two-time All-Star forward Caron Butler, who scored 32 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished out five assists while shooting a scorching 50 percent from the three-point distance, (4-for-8), all while draining the game-winning basket with 3.9 seconds left

"Caron wants an opportunity to lead a team," backup shooting guard Roger Mason Jr. said. "He willed us to that victory yesterday. His personality was on the floor, and I think it's good for us."

"He made some big, big plays for us," Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld said.

"Pretty much put us on his back," Jamison said.

The Cavaliers noticed Butler’s strong play and say they will make some adjustments for tonight’s matchup, including changing defenders multiple times in order to keep James fresh.

"He picked up his game a lot with Gilbert out. He got more touches," Cavaliers guard Daniel Gibson said. "We give respect to him for the way he performed, but we'll definitely look to change a few things."

"If I could keep him, (James) off of Butler, that's what we would prefer to do. But a guy like Caron, you've got to give him different looks and put bodies on him. You have to sometimes double-team him," Brown said. "We've got to keep trying to mix it up and hopefully we don't have to put LeBron on him for long stretches."

Here is a look at tonight’s key trends, followed by my analysis and NBA Betting Free Picks:

The Cavaliers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 playoff games as an underdog of 0.5-4.5.

The Cavaliers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following an ATS loss.

The Wizards are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 home games.

The Wizards are 10-4 ATS in their last 14 Friday games.

The Over is 4-0 in Cavaliers last 4 games as a road underdog of 0.5-4.5.

The Over is 6-0 in Wizards last 6 games as a favorite of 0.5-4.5.

The Over is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings in Washington.

Analysis: I picked the Wizards to win this series before it ever started and I’m picking them to win this contest emphatically while setting themselves up for a thrilling Game 7 date for Sunday. Take the Wizards to cover the spread with a little bit of room to spare as Butler and Jamison lead the way with 20-plus point efforts.

NBA Free Picks: Wizards -4 Points/Over 187½ Total Points

07:00 PM EST NBA Odds

Cleveland Cavaliers +4 -110

Washington Wizards -4 -110

Over 187½ -110

Under 187½ -110

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