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Hey Dallas Mavs fans: want to know why you're one game from elimination ?

Wisdom : That's Jamison. He's the "old warhorse;" the cranky old man who been there/seen that. Power : That's Arenas. He's got the star power, the charisma, and the attention of the opposing team's defense. Courage : That's Butler. He's not called "Tuff Juice" for nothing. I think last night's game showed that all three are key to victory , particularly in regards to the postseason/upper echelon element. Last year with just Jamison and Butler we saw a squad that lacked the special treatment that a team's best player receives, both from the opposition and the referees. Early on this season we saw a sullen star and his tough-yet-inconsistent teammate trade quips via the media instead of keeping that talk in the locker room. And while we haven't seen much of a Arenas/Jamison duo here, I'm sure it would be just as incomplete a product. I guess the bottom line here is this: to call Arenas, Butler and Jamison the Big Three is no...

Strange, but true .

For Caron Butler, it's about overcoming one obstacle at a time : "I want to be playing basketball now, but it starts with the baby steps. And one of the things I really wanted to do was get back on the baseball field and redeem myself," Butler said yesterday after successfully throwing the ceremonial first pitch, an accomplishment he celebrated with a cap toss most MLB pitchers reserve for a no-hitter or a World Series clincher. "Now the next step is getting in the gym and working hard on my craft and redeeming ourselves from last season." Anything it takes to motivate the team for next year.

Last night, I tried to make the case that Caron Butler is the X-Factor in the Wiz-Cavs series . Now I'm back with some proof. 2007-2008 REGULAR SEASON: 12/5/07 : With an injured Gilbert Arenas out and a good performance by Antawn Jamison, Butler puts in (points/rebounds/assists) 27/7/2 and the Wizards win by 19 . 1/23/08 : With an injured Arenas out an a below-average performance by Jamison, Butler puts in 10/5/1 and lose by 36 . 2/22/08 : With an injured Arenas out and a good performance by Jamison, Butler (who was also injured) did not play and Cleveland won by one . 3/13/08 : With an injured Arenas out and a very good performance by Jamison, Butler contributes 19/6/1 and the Wizards win by two . 2008 PLAYOFFS ROUND ONE: 4/19/08 : A big boost from Arenas off the bench + great performance by Jamison + Butler goes 14/4/4 = Wizards lose by seven (NOTE: the Wizards had virtually no help from the bench). 4/21/08 : A small boost from Arenas off the bench + decent performance by Jamiso...

Before I get into my comments on Game 5 between the Cavs and Wizards: In the Wizards' darkest hour, it was Butler who opened the Matrix (I just have to use a Transformers: the Movie reference). Don't mistake toughness for thuggery , Cleveland fans. Coach Mike Brown on why the Cavs lost : " We put the ball in the best player's hands and we told him to go make the play, like he has for us many times before. That's up to the referees to make the call. We're a no-excuse team ." I'm sorry, but those last two sentences contradict each other. If you're a no-excuse team, then why put the lost on the refs making (or not making) the call? Butler on Lebron James, trash-talking, and his team : "" Don't judge this team from comments. LeBron made a statement: 'These guys are talkers.' But unless you hear something from the captains, which would be myself and Antawn, don't label that as the team. I'm the voice of this team and Antaw...