The Wizards are out to avenge two consecutive playoff losses to the defending Eastern Conference champion Cavs. As the second seed in the East last season, Cleveland swept the seventh-seeded Wizards in the quarterfinals of the Eastern Conference playoffs. The year before, Cleveland beat Washington in six games. This time around, Gilbert Arenas has guaranteed a series win on his blog, and DeShawn Stevenson has declared LeBron James to be “overrated.”

With Arenas and Caron Butler healthy Washington is brimming with confidence. All-Star forward Antawn Jamison gives the Wizards a three-headed monster heading into the series. Jamison led the team in scoring (21.4 ppg) and rebounding (10.2 rpg) and has the ability to knock down the outside shot and score inside. Butler is a do-it-all forward who became one of just four NBA players (with LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Vince Carter) to average at least 20 points, six rebounds and four assists per game this season.

The Wizards began to click down the stretch with confidence-building wins over Boston and Philadelphia. Arenas, Roger Mason Jr., Darius Songaila and Nick Young can each provide a scoring spark off the bench, but Arenas is a sixth man in the sense that Manu Ginobili is a sixth man for San Antonio. They're both better than most starters.

Cleveland counters with Joe Smith, Wally Szczerbiak, Damon Jones and Daniel Gibson off the bench. Smith is a solid rebounder and scorer, while Szczerbiak, Jones and Gibson are all capable of draining the outside shot.

James must get to the basket and avoid settling for jump shots. He has the ability to take the game and series over at will, but Washington is a talented group with a solid bench and they’re getting healthy at the right time of year. Stevenson will take the assignment of guarding James, while Brendan Haywood, Antonio Daniels and Caron Butler are each solid defenders.

It should be a great series, but one that Washington will win in the end.