The Washington Wizards are in Cleveland today to play the Trave Cavaliers. Is this a rivalry match up or just a game in early November between two conference teams with two wins apiece? It depends on who you ask. Wizards fans will likely tell you it is a rivalry. Cavaliers fans will likely tell you it isn’t a rivalry because the Cavaliers have so thoroughly dominated the Wizards in games that matter — three straight playoff series. Most Wizards players don’t even want to discuss the matter and last April, with the Wiz about 800 games out of the playoff race, Lebron James said that whatever it was or is between the two teams got out of control.

“I think we both say we’d rather not see each other (in the playoffs),” James said. “It got a little out of control. We became heated rivals. They’ll be back in the Eastern Conference next year.”

Brendan Haywood and Caron Butler deny any knowledge of bad blood between the two teams. Via Steinberg:

“I think some guys have a distaste for Cleveland on this team, but me personally, it’s just another game,” Brendan Haywood said, drops of insincerity streaming out of his pores. “I play basketball. We can go out there, I can foul you hard, you can foul me hard, I can be mad at you that day, but the next time we see each other, it’s a different game, it’s a different day. I don’t need to hold a grudge. Life’s too short.”…

“Just ready to play man, just ready to play,” Caron Butler said, when I asked if this rivalry was still a going concern. I pointed out he hadn’t technically answered my question.
“I’ll tell you half the story, the rest you fill it in,” Butler said. “I’m just ready to play.”

Most Wiz players may not want to talk about it, but new kid in town Randy Foye spoke more plainly about the rivalry whatever it is:

Newly-acquired Wizards guard Randy Foye had seen the playoff games and heard the talk in the Washington locker room. But he found real proof online:

“I just YouTubed DeShawn Stevenson versus LeBron to see what came up because I heard them talking about it, and so I got a little bit of everything. I heard Brendan [Haywood] talking. I heard Caron [Butler] talking. I heard [ESPN's] Stuart Scott saying things. From then on, I understood that it was a big rivalry.”

The problem for the Wiz and their fans is that despite splitting the season series last year, things have been pretty one-sided.

The Wizards were 4-12 overall in the playoffs against the Cavaliers from 2006-2008, including only two wins in eight contests in Cleveland. Despite beating Cleveland twice last year at Verizon Center, Washington hasn’t won during the regular season at Quicken Loans Arena since Feb. 24, 2006, losing five straight.

For their part, the Cavs [and guard Mo Williams] believe they have bigger fish to fry than the Wizkids:

“It doesn’t feel the same as it was in the playoffs a few years ago,” admitted Cavs coach Mike Brown.

“I think they would say it’s a rivalry,” Williams said of the Wizards. “I think it’s a big game, obviously, for us, without question. We know they’re a very good team. They’ve got Gil back at 100 percent. He’s playing well. They have a talented ball club. We look at it as a big game. Probably there’s a little more edge to it than a regular game. They’re going to be more intense. We’re going to be more intense because we want to win. But rivalry? I would say Boston is more of a rival, in my opinion.”

The invaluable David Aldridge saw the Wiz trounce the Nets last weekend and has some thoughts about the team:

Saw the Wizards in person for the first time on Saturday, and while forward Andray Blatche, subbing for the injured Antawn Jamison, is much, much improved, Washington’s deal is Gilbert Arenas, and he looks terrific. With the ball in his hands for the first time in his career, Arenas is making good decisions, initiating the offense quite well and picking his spots to attack. He didn’t force one shot in 29 minutes, dropping in a sublime 32, and had a signature Agent Zero moment, draining a halfcourt shot at the end of the first quarter against New Jersey.

Former coach Eddie Jordan chiseled lots of clearouts and isolations for Arenas out of the Princeton offense, but Flip Saunders has the ball in Arenas’s hands 80 to 90 percent of the time. Saunders doesn’t want to limit Arenas’s aggressiveness; to the contrary, he wants Arenas to be more aggressive than ever — as long as that’s what the defense is giving him.

“When he gets into trouble,” Saunders told me, “is when he predetermines what he’s going to do. I think you can’t predetermine, ‘Well, I’m going to look for an assist on this play.’ Those are things that just kind of happen. But the more he plays with our guys, the more it’s going to happen … we’re like the typical counterpuncher. You punch us first, we’ll duck and miss, and we’ll hit you in the ribs”

Nothing to dislike about that!