Photo: Harry E. Walker/MCT

Despite a fantastic hot-shooting start for the Cavaliers and a 41-24 lead almost halfway through the second quarter, the team had no staying power as the rival Wizards used Antawn Jamison's season debut and his team-high 31 points to blast the Cavaliers away with a fourth quarter surge and a 17-point victory in probably the Cavaliers' second most dreaded trip of the year, to the Verizon Center.

M.I.A. in DC: For the second straight contest, the wine and gold were without their original starting frontcourt of Anderson Varejao and Shaquille O'Neal. Darnell Jackson saw heavy action for the second straight game as a result, but the Cavaliers were aided once again by Delonte West's presence for the second straight night. One Wizard who the Cavaliers wish had stayed M.I.A. for another game is Antawn Jamison, who saw his first action of the season tonight. Randy Foye and Jamario Moon each gave it a go with ankle injuries, although Foye just played 4 minutes.

JJ's sky-high bubble bursts: With three straight games of scoring a new career-high in points, J.J. Hickson's sky-high joyride was bound to reach a setback at some point. It came in large part due to Jamison, who drew Hickson's 2nd foul just three minutes into the game, and the young big man never really recovered. J.J. just saw 20 minutes, scoring six points and grabbing just two rebounds.

Ilgauskas Inferno: In his 3rd straight start, Big Z continues to formulate back to his jumpshooting ways of old. Tonight, he was on early, stroking his first four from the field. After those first four shots, though, Z made just one more field goal, finishing with 10 points and 9 rebounds. Z also battled late foul trouble, committing his fourth in the third quarter and his fifth in the fourth quarter. Here's hoping that when Shaq (hopefully) returns next week that Z can take some of that lightning in the bottle back to the bench.

Not skipping a beat: Antawn Jamison showed why he is still a borderline All-Star caliber player in this league tonight. The 6'9" forward dumped in a quick 11 points in the first eight minutes, and he continued that dominance throughout the game. He notched 31 points on an efficient 12-of-22 from the field, pulling down 10 rebounds in 38 minutes. Without Varejao, there was no ideal person to guard Jamison, except for maybe James. However, James had to be used to guard the likes of Caron Butler for most of the game. Make no mistake, the Wizards, barring significant injuries once again, WILL be in the playoffs, and they WILL be a tough out. As J.V. so clearly put it, they have one of the most talented teams in the league; they just need to find a way to put it all together.

Sometimes goodbye is a second chance (point): One of the most glaring strikes against the Cavaliers tonight was the offensive rebounds they allowed. Washington outrebounded the short-handed, short-stacked Cavaliers 49-35, and the Wiz pulled down 16 offensive boards that led to 19 points compared to the Cavaliers' six offensive rebounds. The Cavaliers were struggling down low without Shaq and Andy, but those who were out there didn't do a good enough job of putting a body on the Wiz big men, especially Jamison and Brendan Haywood, who had six offensive boards each.

Limping out of the halftime gate: An old familiar foe hit the Cavaliers tonight, the poor second half start. It's been a mainstay of the LeBron James era, and it reared its ugly head tonight as Washington surged out to a 10-2 run and a third quarter lead after trailing by as many as 17 in the first half. I knew at the half that Washington had a surge in them, and they wasted no time in catching the Cavaliers with their pants down to start the third.

LBJ's surge in third: The Cavaliers stayed in the game in the third quarter largely because of LeBron's outside shooting. It's a gift and a curse at the same time. Sure, LBJ poured in 15 third quarter points, including one in which he pulled up from Arlington, VA, but it also bogged down the Cavalier offense. And, you don't have to have a Ph.D in basketball to know that it's a recipe for Cavalier disaster.

Foul trouble hits frontcourt: Already counting bodies up front, J.J. Hickson and Zydrunas Ilgauskas each committed their fourth fouls in the third quarter, forcing the wine and gold to play Darnell Jackson even more than hoped. D-block had to log 21 minutes after being an afterthought all season long as the fifth (and actually, counting LBJ/Moon, sixth) big man, and he was caught in some tough matchups. The fouls racked up on the Cavaliers as Washington played the role of aggressor, and the Cavaliers were content to stand and chuck for the last 2 1/2 quarters.

LBJ's rest ends the comeback hope: With the Cavaliers punch-drunk from the Wizard run and down three to start the fourth, coach Mike Brown decided not to just rest James, but to rest him for over FOUR MINUTES, as Washington gained six points, extending the lead to a nine point margin in that stretch. Especially with Mo Williams's struggles with just 2-of-13 shooting tonight, this was not the time to rest LBJ, especially with the day off tomorrow. I'm not saying it's wrong necessarily, but it shows that Brown has the big picture in mind, and while he's not happy with the effort or the result, he may be willing to chalk it up to a schedule and injury loss, as the King logged just 35 minutes. When James did get back in the game, he was content with jacking shots up over Deshawn Stevenson, who didn't even see action in the first half. It worked initially, but the offense bogging down was the end result.

4th quarter meltdown and LBJ's wrist: The Cavs were outscored 33-19 in the final quarter, and the offensive execution reached a minimum as the Wiz kept their foot on the accelerator. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers had reached their boiling point. With about five minutes to go, Mike Brown got T'd up for arguing a tough call on a blocked shot/defensive stop by Anthony Parker and LeBron James that looked clean upon further review. Then, with LeBron leading the fastbreak, Deshawn Stevenson tied the ball up along with James's entire body in a bear hug. The call, you ask? A jump ball, and James was livid. James got hit with a T-bomb, and the game's outcome at that point was beyond salvage. The officiating was disgusting tonight, but I cannot in all honesty blame the outcome on them one bit. Despite the fouls being 26-15 and the free throws 35-15 in favor of Washington, the Cavaliers are to blame for not pushing the envelope until far too late, when LeBron and Delonte West got the message and attacked the bucket.

goes to: Darnell Jackson. D-block had a great first half in relief of Hickson due to foul trouble. Jackson played Hickson's role quite well, shooting 5-of-8 for his 10 first half points, pulling down 7 rebounds, and notching an assist, a steal, and a block. He was hustling around most of the game for 50-50 balls as well. D-block's play kept things on the right side in the first half.

Team Grade: D

I've stated the obvious strikes against the Cavaliers tonight, but that doesn't take away the 108 points given up, the 15 turnovers, or the 16 offensive rebounds. Things have been slipping late in the last couple of games against Utah and Golden State, but tonight was when the Cavaliers finally paid for their second half struggles. The Cavaliers have a lot to take care of before Friday's game in Indiana, where they hope to get Varejao back on the floor to take on the improved Pacers.

All for one. One for all.

Kirk

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