WASHINGTON — An extremely unselfish LeBron James passed up a lot of shots, so Wally Szczerbiak and Daniel “Boobie” Gibson darn well better not have.
With their superstar teammate setting them up early and often, the two guards came up big as the Cavaliers won
Game 6 and their first-round playoff series Friday with a thoroughly impressive 105-88 victory over the Washington Wizards at the Verizon Center.
The Cavaliers, who eliminated Washington from the postseason for the third straight year, now await the winner of the Atlanta-Boston series, which is tied 3-3 heading into Game 7 on Sunday.
A date for Game 1 of the second round has not yet been set, but James, as always, will be the man who sets everything up for the Cavaliers.
“It was a terrific, terrific, terrific, terrific, terrific, terrific performance by our guy, LeBron James,” Cleveland coach Mike Brown said. “Terrific.”
James, who recorded the third playoff triple-double of his career with 27 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists, didn’t even look for his shot in the early going, repeatedly passing up open looks to set up first Szczerbiak, then Gibson.
“When we make shots from the outside like we did tonight, like Daniel did, like Wally did, we’re a tough team to beat,” James said. “It’s pick your poison.”
With the Wizards electing to double- and triple-team James, Szczerbiak shot so much his right arm almost fell off. Hitting just .359 from the field overall and .250 from behind the arc coming in, the 6-foot-7, 245-pounder finished with 26 points, including 6-of-13 shooting on 3-pointers.
“It felt great,” Szczerbiak said. “This has been the worst stretch I’ve had in my career, by far. I just had to let it all hang out.”
Gibson didn’t score quite as much, going 4-of-6 from beyond the arc and 9-of-14 overall en route to 22 points, but he was terrific in putting up a 13-point second quarter that helped the Cavaliers take control of the game.
“We know (James) is going to give us the ball,” Gibson said. “We’ve got to be prepared to make a play.”
The Cavaliers were crisp offensively all night, with James almost never holding the ball above the 3-point line as the shot clock wound down. Instead, he moved the ball quickly as Washington defenders ran at him, which usually resulted in an open look for Gibson or Szczerbiak.
The Cavaliers also ran James off more screens when he didn’t have the ball, which prevented their offense from stagnating while also creating the proper spacing for big men Zydrunas Ilgauskas (12, points, seven rebounds) and Joe Smith (eight points, five rebounds).
All in all, it was a pretty good clinic. The proof is in the numbers, as James, Szczerbiak and Gibson combined for 75 points on 26-of-49 shooting, including 11-of-21 from long range.
“It’s tough when you have to deal with a special talent like LeBron,” said Antawn Jamison, who led the Wizards with 23 points and 15 rebounds. “Then when you have guys shooting 50 percent or better from the 3-point line, it’s going to be a long night.”
As good as the Cavaliers were offensively, their defense may have been better. Washington scored 31 points in the first quarter, then was held to 33 over the second and third periods, during which time it went 12-of-39 from the field.
James already had a triple-double and the Cavaliers owned a 15-point lead at the end of three, but he ripped into Anderson Varejao and the rest of his teammates for letting Antonio Daniels get a dunk to close the quarter.
“I never disrespect any of my teammates,” James said. “When I say something, I’m doing it for the betterment of the team and them. If I do something wrong, I hope they say something to me.”
There was no reason to do that Friday. Cleveland’s margin quickly became 20 early in the fourth quarter, quieting the crowd and putting an end, once and for all, to Washington guard DeShawn Stevenson’s ridiculous claim that James is overrated.
“Cleveland is advancing,” James said. “We won the series 4-2. That speaks louder than me saying anything.”
James’ play also did the talking as the Cavaliers took over the game at the end of the first half. With Cleveland down six, he came back in the game at the 7:20 mark of the second quarter and keyed a 21-2 run that put Cleveland up 13.
James, who had attempted just two shots to that point, started the run by driving to the hole for a hoop before quickly adding a 3-pointer, then finished it with an even better attack on the rim that resulted in a three-point play. In between, his passing — or mere presence — helped set up Gibson for three 3-pointers and Smith for a pair of jumpers.
“He’s just a special player,” said Szczerbiak, who made three 3-pointers in the first nine minutes of the game. “He knows how to identify the hot hand.”
Contact Rick Noland may be reached at (330 721-4061 or rickn@ohio.net.

NEXT UP?

WHO: Boston or Atlanta
SAY WHAT? The Cavaliers advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals, but won’t know their opponent until the Celtics-Hawks series is finished. The Celtics host the Hawks in a deciding Game 7 Sunday. The one sure thing is the Cavs’ next game will be Tuesday at 8 p.m. It will be at Boston if the Celtics win and at home if the Hawks prevail. 

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