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Without any doubts, the Cavs are about to enter a new era after former franchise centerpiece LeBron James left the team to join Dwayne Wade in Miami. Thus, the Cleveland Cavaliers are hoping to show that they can play without LeBron when they meet John Wall and the Washington Wizards on Thursday at 11 p.m. GMT.

Unlike the Cavaliers, the Wizards are very content with the way their off-season went as they were able to pickup number one overall pick John Wall on draft night. As Wall will join former All-Star Gilbert Arenas in Washington's back-court, the two speedy guards can be expected to cause a wide range of defensive problems for opposing teams. Likewise, Josh Howard and Yi Jianlian are a very capable duo at the small forward position where as 22-year old center Javal McGee has yet to reach his prime. Last but not least, first round picks Trevor Booker and Kevin Seraphin could become solid contributors off the bench and the recently signed Kirk Hinrich is a solid backup for both guard positions. Therefore, the Wizards could very well have an edge over the Cleveland Cavaliers when the game gets underway on Thursday night.

You can watch all games of the Washington Wizards and Cleveland Cavaliers right here on www.watchlivenba.com, the home of NBA live streaming.

Posted: 4th Nov 2009

Although the Cavaliers fell to the Celtics on opening night and dropped another one versus the Raptors on Thursday, they managed to bounce back with two straight wins afterwards. Thus, the Cavaliers will host Gilbert Arenas and the Washington Wizards at Quicken Loans Arena on Wednesday at midnight GMT.

Unlike Cleveland Cavaliers, the Wizards’ front office is very content with the way coach Flip Saunders’ squad has performed in the first week of action. More specifically, the return of the injury plagued franchise centerpiece Gilbert Arenas seemed to elevate everyone’s level of play and could lead Washington back to the playoff race. Even though the Wizards dropped one game versus the Hawks on the road, they played very convincingly in their wins versus the Dallas Mavericks and New Jersey Nets. Especially the Wizards’ performance at the offensive end of the floor was very impressive, led by Gilbert ‘Agent Zero’ Arenas who averaged 28.0 points, 6.7 assists and 1.7 rebounds per contest.

In contrast, the Cavaliers are under a lot pressure to perform well after posting a 66-16 record last season and acquiring Shaquille O’Neil this summer. However, their reorganized ofense seemed somewhat stagnant apart from LeBron James so far. Most importantly, the Cavs showed very little ball movement and relied mostly on LeBron to draw double-teams and find the open teammate. That said, James ability to score at will and carry the team makes Cleveland a tough opponent on any night. In the first four games of this year’s NBA campaign, James put up an impressive 24.8 points, 8.8 assists and 7.8 rebounds per game.

Taking everything into consideration, the Wizards might be overdue for a return to the playoffs but might not be on Cleveland’s level yet. Although Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood have proven countless times that they can put up a big numbers, it appears to be rather questionable if it is enough to overcome the Cavs. Moreover, Washington is still without Antawn Jamison who will be sidelined until the end of the month. Ultimately, LeBron James and the Cavaliers might just be a little much to handle, especially on the road.

You can watch all games of the Washington Wizards and Cleveland Cavaliers right here on www.watchlivenba.com, the home of live NBA streaming.