For Wizards at least, it's a rivalry

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By Mike Jones

A date with LeBron James & Co. always represents a special, love-hate get-together for the Washington Wizards.

Tuesday's engagement is no exception. The Wizards face the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena for the first time this season - a meeting that noticeably has raised the intensity in the locker room.

The Wizards and Cavaliers established a rivalry - at least, according to one team - with three straight meetings in the playoffs from 2006 to 2008.

The Cavaliers won all three series, but the clashes still produced plenty of sparks.

Last season, for example, Wizards guard DeShawn Stevenson engaged in a feud with James that even prompted rapper Jay-Z to pen a song dissing Stevenson. (The feud still reverberates: In Cleveland last month for a preseason game, Stevenson received a special message from an airport attendant: "I hate you.")

Even last season, when the injury-plagued Wizards won just 19 games, the matchups with the Cavaliers still made for competitive basketball.

James says he doesn't view the Wizards as rivals, but his counterparts beg to differ.

"He's the golden child. He's going to say that. He has a lot of stuff to lose. I don't. I don't care," Stevenson said. "As long as I'm on the court, yeah. As long as I'm on the court, Gilbert's on the court, Caron, Brendan, Antawn. Until we all go away, it's going to be a rivalry. You can tell, just the fans. And watch the tipoff - don't nobody say 'what's up' to each other. No handshakes. Any other team we always give handshakes to everybody.

"But it's a rivalry. I know it's going to be hard fouls and the fans booing. It's a rivalry. It's going to be a tough game."