Gilbert Arenas wanted it. DeShawn Stevenson wanted it. And the Wizards? They got it: A first-round matchup with the fourth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James. Though Charles Barkley thinks they're "the dumbest team in the history of civilization" for riling their opponents' best player.

Washington aims to take advantage of a Cleveland team that enters the playoffs having gone 15-13 after completing a massive makeover at the trade deadline, when they renovated their roster through a three-team trade with the Bulls and Sonics. Expunging Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden, among others, brought back Ben Wallace, Joe Smith, Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West.

West has been the most productive of the bunch, averaging 10 points and four assists as the starting point guard, and Wallace has provided a defensive complement to Zydrunas Ilgauskas down low. But both were brought in to provide a boost to the team's franchise player, James, who averaged 30 points, eight rebounds and seven assists as he led Cleveland to its fourth straight season of 40-plus wins and third straight second-place finish in the Central Division, trailing Detroit each time.

http://www.nba.com/playoffs2008/series/series_e1s4.html
Ben Couch

Excited for the playoffs to start.