Wizards lead in 1 category: trash talk

Despite a 3-1 series deficit, Washington’s players are still making comments.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Overrated hasn’t worked. Now one of the Washington Wizards is calling LeBron James another name: Crybaby.

Following Cleveland’s 100-97 win in Game 4 Sunday, James, who has absorbed two flagrant fouls in this rough-and-tumble playoff series and has been banged around by the Wizards, was asked about Washington’s tough-guy tactics.

“I guess that’s what they want to do: hurt LeBron James in this series,” he said. “It’s not working.”

Monday, Wizards center Brendan Haywood countered.

“Awww,” Haywood said, in a whiny, high-pitched voice to mock James. “They are trying to hurt me.”

Haywood, who was called for a flagrant-two foul and ejected from Game 2 after shoving James, believes it’s time for Cleveland’s leader to stop complaining.

“I mean come on man, this is the playoffs,” Haywood said following Monday’s practice. “He wears 23, he wants to be Michael Jordan, I can respect that, he’s a great player. You saw what Mike went through. Mike got fouled way worse than this. No one is trying to hurt him, everybody is trying to play basketball, trying to play tough. Play basketball and leave it alone.”

If it was only that easy.

With at least one game to go, Washington vs. Cleveland Part III has featured weeks of trash talk, intense games loaded with hard fouls, even dueling rap stars. Haywood’s remarks — and a postgame comment from James — will provide the backdrop as the teams prepare for Game 5 Wednesday night at Quicken Loans Arena.

With a win, the Cavaliers will close out the Wizards for the third straight year in the postseason, something Washington’s players insisted wasn’t possible before the series began. To finally eliminate Cleveland, they had to stop — or at least slow down — James, but other than knocking him to the floor a few times and winning Game 3 in a stunning blowout, that has hardly happened.

Sunday, James turned his anger from a flagrant foul committed against him by DeShawn Stevenson on the Wizards with his best all-around game of the series. In 44 minutes, he scored 34 points with 12 rebounds and seven assists, the final one to Delonte West, whose 3-pointer from the left corner with 5.4 seconds left gave the Cavs their two-game cushion.

Washington’s plan from the outset was to be rough with James, who has been knocked down several times. But James has always gotten up, and through four games, he’s averaging 29.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists.

Following Game 4, James was asked if the Wizards can come back. He considered the question, repeated it and then answered it with all the subtlety of one of his ferocious slam dunks.

“Do I think they can do it?” James said. “No.”

Wham!

Stevenson’s hard foul in the second quarter Sunday ratcheted up the animosity between the Wizards forward and James. Stevenson, who called James “overrated” following a game in March, came across the lane and swiped his right arm across the top of James’ head, knocking off the All-Star’s headband and sending him sprawling to the floor.

The NBA fined Stevenson $25,000 for “making menacing gestures” during the first quarter of the game.