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Two hard fouls into the Cavaliers 89-84 loss to Washington in Game 2 of the first round of the NBA playoffs, Lebron James looked frustrated. He barked at the officials and glared at the Wizards delivering the hard contact on the way to the basket. Following his jaw-dropping playoff debut in which everything flowed effortlessly, the Wizards committed themselves to making James work harder than he did on Saturday afternoon in Game 1. And it worked.

James struggled with his shooting and uncharacteristically turned the ball over 10 times. He still managed to lead the Cavs with 26 points, but the 10 turnovers exceeded his nine rebounds and two assists. Everytime James headed toward the hoop, Washington collapsed and forced James into tough looks. Washington made adjustments and Cleveland stood around watching Drew Gooden enjoy a career night. Gooden single-handedly kept Cleveland in the ballgame scoring 24 points and 16 rebounds.

Game 3 tips off on Friday night and Cleveland better take note that the series has moved into a more physical realm. 30 years since the Miracle of Richfield, LeBron and the Cavs need to find a way to get past Washington.

Popularity: 10% [?]

Take a quick look at the NBA standings and ask yourself the following question: How many teams are in a position to win 50 games this season?

Answer: Seven. Detroit, San Antonio, Dallas, Phoenix, and Miami are all at 50-plus. Cleveland and New Jersey lurk just below the milestone at 49 wins. That’s some pretty elite company, and while Cleveland may not be favored to win the championship just yet - you have to believe that a 50-win season proves the Cavaliers are one of the NBA’s premier franchises.

Popularity: 11% [?]

Bronson Arroyo’s start with the Cincinnati Reds has been as fantastic a debut as any player has had with a new team in recent memory. Effective and efficient starting pitching coupled with a surprisingly hot bat has quickly lifted Arroyo to psuedo cult hero status among the Reds faithful.

But more significant than his individual performance has been the two Reds victories when Arroyo takes the ball. Saying nothing to diminish the early accomplishments of the Reds this season - certainly other guys such as Adam Dunn, Ken Griffey Jr., and Felipe Lopez have contributed to the wins. But the sense about this Reds season is that despite having to give up Wily Mo Pena, Cincinnati’s front office is capable of making good things happen on the field.

And that has changed because of Arroyo.

Popularity: 20% [?]