<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Usually, the notion of having a must-win game in November in the NBA is preposterous. Slow starters make the playoffs every season. Teams bolt out of the starting blocks and fade before the all-star break. It's insane 99 percent of the time in the NBA to attach any real significance to any one of the first 10 games of an 82-game marathon season. But. The Wizards simply had to beat Cleveland last night. Had to. For starters, the Wizards needed to prevent the Cavaliers from taking ownership of them. LeBron James is going to be in his physical prime for the next dozen years, and if the Wizards are going to seriously contend in the Eastern Conference with this current nucleus of players they're going to have to learn how to beat Cleveland, especially in Washington. But of more immediate concern is yet another slow Wizards start to the season, losing three straight games and five of their first eight before last night's 111-99 victory to fall behind Orlando and Atlanta -- seriously, Atlanta? -- in the NBA's Southeast Division.</div> Click To Read Rest Good stuff to read there. I think the race for the Southeast is going to go down to the Wizards or Magic, and while Orlando hasn't been playoff tested yet this season, I think Orlando will finish out in the top of the Southeast because of Dwight's presence in the paint and Hill's return.
