Renewed Cleveland Cavs, Washington Wizards Rivalry Would Be Good for NBA
The obituary for NBA rivalries has been written for a while now, but the revamped Cleveland Cavaliers and rising Washington Wizards have given them a pulse again.
Playoff adversaries for three consecutive seasons from 2006 to 2008, the Cavs and Wizards stand poised to renew their rivalry in the 2014-15 campaign. At least they would be if they were willing to wait that long.
Judging by the verbal barbs thrown back and forth already, they are not.
Third-year Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal fired the first shot without even knowing he was armed.
"We're definitely the best backcourt in the league," Beal said of he and teammate John Wall to reporters at the team's media day.
Considering the types of claims made at these sessions—when, as Grantland's Andrew Sharp put it, "everyone's either gained or lost 15 pounds, at least 45 different players added some post moves over the summer, and everybody's in a good mood"—Beal's comment seemed like par for the course.
But, in the best rivalries, nothing is as ever as simple as it seems. This was no exception to the rule.
Once Beal's words traveled back to Cavs guard Dion Waiters, the Syracuse product added some fuel to the old fire.
"That's nonsense," Waiters told reporters after practice. "(Beal is) supposed to say that, but I know deep down, he's not messing with me and Ky (Kyrie Irving). I think me and Ky are the best backcourt, young backcourt."
Further stoking the flames, Wall was next to chime in with a response to Waiters' rebuttal.
"Why he (Waiters) think that?" Wall said, per TruthAboutIt.net's Adam McGinnis. "They haven't seen a playoff game yet so when they make one, they can start talking."
Waiters, apparently realizing that a war through the media is so outdated, took to Twitter for his next rejoinder:
The verbal beef came back around to Beal on Wednesday, who had the following exchange during an appearance on ESPN 980's Inside the Locker Room (h/t Dan Steinberg of The Washington Post):
"'So you and Dion Waiters, you guys gonna be hanging out any time soon?' Scott Jackson asked. 'What’s the story there?'
'Shots fired,' Beal replied.
'What do you think?' Jackson asked.
'I’m just gonna say November 21, man,' Beal replied.
'Are you guys trying to sell tickets, or what are you doing?' Jackson asked. 'It’s great. It’s like WWE almost.'
'We’re trying to amp it up a little bit,' Beal said. 'Pay-per-view game, hopefully.'
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Pay-per-view? Doesn't that seem like a little too much for a rift over a backcourt crown that really doesn't belong to either team?
Well, no, actually. Not when you consider the history between these clubs.
While ultimately one-sided—the Cavs took each of the aforementioned series by a combined record of 12-4—those meetings still provided what fans expect out of a great sports rivalry.
The star power was impressive on both sides of the coin.
LeBron James, just 21 years old when the postseason clashes started, shredded the Wizards to the tune of 31.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 6.9 assists over the 16 games. Three-time All-Star Gilbert Arenas tallied 34.0 points (on .464/.435/.771 shooting), 5.5 boards and 5.3 dimes in the 2006 series, but a torn meniscus held him out of the next one, and lingering knee problems made him ineffective for the final meeting.
Although the Wizards could never knock off the Cavaliers, when they were at (or near) full strength, they had a way of giving Cleveland problems. The Wizards put up 1,163 points over the 2006 and 2008 series, only 19 fewer than the Cavaliers (1,182).
The games were exciting—and often incredibly chippy.
There were hard playoff fouls and copious amounts of trash talk. Ex-Wizards wing DeShawn Stevenson thought it would be a good idea to call James "overrated," per Michael Lee of The Washington Post, and the Washington faithful later serenaded the King with Stevenson's word.
The rivalry even had things fans never knew they needed—or wanted—in a spirited sports clash.
Rapper Jay-Z dropped a diss record of Stevenson in support of James (warning: NSFW). There was an ill-fated marketing ploy that stemmed from then-Wizards center Brendan Haywood, who now calls Cleveland his NBA home, mocking James for claiming the Wizards wanted to "hurt Lebron James in this series."
Bad blood drenched the two teams like champagne inside a champions' locker room.
It looks like it's brewing once again.
Both teams seem stronger on paper now than they did back then.
The Cavaliers, bolstered by the offseason arrivals of James, Kevin Love, Shawn Marion and Mike Miller, could have a historically explosive offense. Cleveland averaged 48 wins in the seasons leading up to its playoff matchups with Washington. This team, according to FiveThirtyEight.com's Nate Silver, is projected for 65 victories.
The Wizards aren't quite on the same level. Bleacher Report's Josh Martin has them down for 50 wins, which would be a six-game improvement from last season.
However, Washington could make a steeper climb if Wall and Beal take another substantial step forward. Both are coming off career seasons, and neither has celebrated their 25th birthdays (Wall will next September, Beal's isn't until June 2018).
The pair combined for 36.4 points and 12.1 assists in 2013-14, numbers suggesting that both have plenty of upward mobility left.
The explosive backcourt is also joined by one of the league's more intimidating interior tandems in Nene and Marcin Gortat. Washington's bigs both have the scoring touch needed to carry an offense in spurts, which could come in handy against a Cleveland frontcourt that appears short on rim protection.
The Wizards lost two-way swingman Trevor Ariza over the offseason, but veteran Paul Pierce arrived shortly thereafter to take his place. Pierce's championship experience could be a vital asset for the youthful Wizards, but it's his history with James that adds another level of intrigue to this rekindled rivalry.
Pierce and James have had some legendary postseason battles, to the point that James' old running mate Dwyane Wade dubbed Pierce "the closest thing to a rival, if LeBron has one," in 2012, per ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst.
While Washington could never match Cleveland's top-level talent before—and still can't now—the Wizards used their toughness, tenacity and heart to keep competitive with the Cavs.
If Washington has a chance to recapture that same passion, Pierce might be the best guy to bring it out of his new teammates.
"I am not intimidated by nobody in the league," Pierce said, per ESPN New York's Ohm Youngmisuk. "There are always going to be great players and there's always going to be challenges. That is one of my greatest strengths. I am not afraid to face challenges or any matchup in the league."
Sports are nothing if there's no passion.
That's why this has the chance to be something. Between the backcourt beef and the history of Pierce and James, these teams should not lack for intensity whenever they meet.
As Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post noted, even Irving and Wall have their own individual rivalry:
"Wall and Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving will always be linked. The Wizards selected Wall with the first overall pick in the 2010 draft. One year later, the Cavaliers took Irving with the first pick. The point guards landed in rebuilding projects and suffered through miserable seasons in the mediocre Eastern Conference.
Wall led his team to the playoffs first, heading the Wizards’ run to the Eastern Conference semifinals last spring after making his first all-star team. But it was Irving who was named the All-Star Game MVP last February and made the final Team USA roster after Wall didn’t survive the first cuts this past summer. Irving went on to start for Team USA in Spain and was named the tournament’s MVP.
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Both franchises are now eyeing the same ultimate goal of competing for a title. Given the strength on each side, there is a chance that quest will eventually pit them against one another in a playoff setting.
Hoop heads should hope that's the case, at least.
In recent years, few teams have reached the emotional levels these clubs hit during their postseason battles. Considering those battles never took place outside of the first round and always produced the same outcome, it speaks volumes as to how they felt about one another.
The NBA needs that same fire again. Any professional sports league benefits from burning desire.
With the stakes potentially heightened and the talent level undeniably increased, the Wizards and Cavaliers won't simply renew their rivalry—they will make it even better than before.
Unless otherwise noted, statistics used courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com.
