FIRST-ROUND RESULTS (HOME team in CAPS)

Cleveland wins 4-2 SU (3-3 ATS)
OVER/UNDER 3-3

5/5/06 - Game 6: Cleveland 114, WASHINGTON 113 OT (ATS winner: Cleveland +5 | OVER 196)
Recap | Boxscore
SUMMARY: Another classic overtime game saw the Wizards blow a seven-point lead with 4:48 left in regulation and need a 30-foot 3-pointer from Gilbert Arenas with 2.3 seconds left just to send the game to the extra session.  In OT, Washington again seemed to have the game won with a 1-point lead and Arenas shooting two free throws with 15 seconds remaining.  But Arenas missed both, setting up a game-winning shot from Damon Jones with 4.8 seconds left.  The frenetic finish at the end of regulation and then OT was more than enough to push the total OVER.

5/3/06 - Game 5: CLEVELAND 122, Washington 121 OT (ATS winner: Washington +5 | OVER 193)
Recap | Boxscore
SUMMARY: The Cavs blew a 107-100 lead with 1:18 left in regulation, ruining their best chance to cover the spread.  The Wizards rallied back to tie the game with 7.5 seconds left on a layup by Caron Butler, sending it to overtime.  In OT, the game alternated back and forth with Washington seemingly headed to a victory when Gilbert Arenas hit two free throws with 3.6 seconds left.  But the Wizards left too much time on the clock for Cleveland star LeBron James, who sliced to the basket from the baseline with 0.9 seconds left for the game-winner.  Both teams played at an OVER pace from the beginning and didn't let down all the way through the dramatic finish.

4/30/06 - Game 4: WASHINGTON 106, Cleveland 96 (ATS winner: Washington -5 | OVER 194)
Recap | Boxscore
SUMMARY: The Wizards overcame a 57-46 halftime deficit with a 60-point second half, fueling the first OVER of the series.  Gilbert Arenas scored 28 of his team-high 34 points after the intermission, including 20 in a fourth quarter that saw Washington hold a 34-24 advantage.

4/28/06 - Game 3: Cleveland 97, WASHINGTON 96 (ATS winner: Cleveland -3 | UNDER 194.5)
Recap | Boxscore
SUMMARY: The Cavs turned around the game in the third quarter after trailing by eight points at halftime, 58-50.  Cleveland outscored Washington 21-13 in the third and let LeBron James do the rest in the fourth.  James hit two difficult shots in the final minute, including the game-winner with 5.7 seconds left to overcome Gilbert Arenas, who scored 17 of his 34 in the fourth.  The low-scoring third quarter was just enough to push the game UNDER, and a missed free throw for each team in the final 1:36 made that a reality. 

4/25/06 - Game 2: Washington 89, CLEVELAND 84 (ATS winner: Washington +4 | UNDER 195)
Recap | Boxscore
SUMMARY: The Wizards outscored the Cavaliers 28-21 in the fourth quarter after the game was close throughout.  Washington limited James to 26 points on 7-of-25 shooting and forced him into a career-high and Cleveland playoff-record 10 turnovers, making a nice adjustment from Game 1.  The Wizards also outscored the Cavs 16-15 in the second quarter, which is all it took to force the game UNDER.

4/22/06 - Game 1: CLEVELAND 97, Washington 86 (ATS winner: Cleveland -5 | UNDER 196)
Recap | Boxscore
SUMMARY: James had a sparkling playoff debut for the Cavs with a triple-double of 32 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, becoming just the third player ever to achieve that feat in his first postseason game and demoralized the Wizards in the process.  Washington trailed by 11 at the end of the first quarter and never threatened the spread the rest of the way.  The Wizards trio of Antawn Jamison, Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler scored nearly 20 points less than their season average combined, keeping the total UNDER.

REGULAR-SEASON RESULTS

Washington wins 3-1 SU & ATS
UNDER 3-1

4/16//06 - WASHINGTON 104, Cleveland 92 (ATS winner: Wash. -5.5 | UNDER 198.5)
2/24/06 - Washington 102, CLEVELAND 94 (ATS winner: Wash. +6 | UNDER 198)
2/10/05 - WASHINGTON 101, Cleveland 89 (ATS winner: Wash. -2 | UNDER 197.5)
11/15/05 - CLEVELAND 114, Washington 99 (ATS winner: Cleveland -7 | OVER 202.5)

REGULAR-SEASON SERIES RECAP: The Wizards wanted this playoff series because of the success they had against the Cavaliers this season.  It's ironic that Washington needed to beat Cleveland on Sunday to get this matchup, and the Cavs trailed by 26 at the end of the third quarter before making the final outcome somewhat respectable.  The most important part of that game was the return of Caron Butler for the Wizards from a sprained thumb.  Butler scored 21 points in that meeting and averaged 21 in the previous two.  His offensive game has helped Washington overcome the loss of Hughes and could be the difference in helping his team advance to the second round.