<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">WASHINGTON - The Cavaliers needed to win a game in Washington this weekend, and they did. So losing 106-96 to the Washington Wizards on Sunday just means that this best-of-seven NBA playoff series is tied at 2-2. The Cavaliers remain in solid shape with two of the last three games on their home court. If they know that this weekend could have been different, so much the better. They were so close to taking command of the series and breaking the hearts of the Wizards, who have been having some doubts about being able to defeat LeBron James and the Cavs. That was the feeling after Game 3 when the Wizards whined about a no-call by the referees when they thought that James traveled with the ball. There was talk about how the Cavs have been getting favorable foul calls. That's despite the fact that the Wizards had taken 20 more free throws in the first three games. Yes, there was the scent of desperation in the air this Sunday night, especially when the Cavs had a 13-point lead over the Wizards early in the third quarter. The Wizards were in a frenzy, missing open jumpers and looking like a team ready to come down with a case of the chokes. Yes, pros do choke. As veteran Cavs guard Eric Snow said before the game, ``When you're on the road in the playoffs, you just want to keep the score close. The home team has the crowd, and the home team is supposed to win. But the home team also has the real pressure on them. You can make them feel it at the end of the game.'' That was part of the recipe for the Cavs' stunning 97-96 victory in Game 3 on Friday at the Verizon Center. It could have happened again, until they played one of the season's strangest quarters. Here's all you need to know about those 12 minutes: Snow took more shots (four) than James (three). And neither of them made any. This came after James set a franchise playoff record with 25 points in a half. In the third quarter, James seemed oddly passive. He had no rebounds, drew no fouls, had no steals and scored zero points. The rest of the team slipped deep into the same swamp. It was a reminder that the Cavs remain an inexperienced playoff team. They were unable to set up any plays to get the ball inside -- and they didn't take a free throw in the third quarter.</div> Source
