Schedule and 2008 Results
Regular Season Records: Cleveland 45-37, Washington 43-39
Game 1 on Saturday, 19 April: Washington loses at Cleveland, 93-pts-86
Game 2 on Monday, 21 April: Washington loses at Cleveland, 116-pts-86
Game 3 on Thursday, 24 April: Cleveland loses at Washington, 108-pts-72
Game 4 on Sunday, 27 April: Cleveland wins at Washington, 100-pts-97
Game 5 on Wednesday, 30 April: Washington wins at Cleveland, 88-pts-87
Game 6 on Friday, 02 May: Cleveland wins at Washington, 105-pts-88

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 6: The Cleveland Cavaliers visited and defeated the Washington Wizards 105-pts-88 to achieve a 4-games-2 victory in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1041. With the series 1041 win, Cleveland improves its best-of-7 NBA playoff series record to 7-5 overall and 3-0 in the NBA Preliminary round. With the series 1041 loss, the Washington Wizards see their best-of-7 NBA playoff series record fall to 1-4 with a four-series losing streak overall and 1-3 in the Preliminary round. The victorious Cleveland Cavaliers posted a WWLWLW win order in series 1041: Series 1041 thus becomes the second NBA Preliminary-round series, the 16th NBA series (all rounds), and the 31st MLB/NBA/NHL series (all rounds) to follow this win order to completion.

After Game 5: With MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1041 back in Ohio for Game 5, the host Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the Washington Wizards 88-pts-87. The Cleveland lead in series 1041 is thus now 3-games-2. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-2, the Cleveland Cavaliers have a series record of 5-1 and a Game 6 record of 3-3. When trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-2, the Washington Wizards have a series record of 0-1 and a Game 6 record of 0-1. The sole Cleveland series loss upon having led 3-games-2 occurred in series 980, wherein the Cavaliers fell to the Detroit Pistons in the 2006 NBA Quarterfinals. The Washington Wizards loss upon trailing 3-games-2 occurred in series 975, wherein they fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2006 NBA Preliminary round. Thus, while both teams in series 1041 look to the year 2006 for favorable precedents, the Washington Wizards look to the Detroit Pistons in the Quarterfinals of that year, while the Cleveland Cavaliers look to their own 2006 edition in the Preliminary round of that year. In the history of best-of-7 NBA playoff series from 1947 through 2007, teams such as Cleveland that win Games 1-2, lose Game 3, win Game 4, and lose Game 5 have a series record of 20-1. The sole loss in that context was sustained by the Phoenix Suns in series 691, in the 1995 NBA Quarterfinals to the eventual 1995 NBA champion Houston Rockets.

After Game 4: The Cleveland Cavaliers visited and defeated the Washington Wizards 100-pts-97 to take a 3-games-1 lead in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1041. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-1, the Cleveland Cavaliers have a series record of 1-0 and a Game 5 record of 0-1. The Washington Wizards are trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-1 for the first time in their fifth best-of-7 NBA playoff series as the Washington Wizards. Their predecessor entity, the Washington Bullets, had a 1-2 series record and a 1-2 Game 5 record upon trailing 3-games-1 in a best-of-7 NBA playoff series.

After Game 3: With MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1041 having shifted from Ohio to the District of Columbia for Games 3-4, the host Washington Wizards defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 108-pts-72 to narrow the Cleveland series 1041 lead to 2-games-1. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 2-games-1, the Cleveland Cavaliers have a 3-0 series record and a 1-2 Game 4 record. When trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 2-games-1, the Washington Wizards have a 1-1 series record and a 2-0 Game 4 record. The 36-point Game 3 margin of victory for the Wizards ties for the fourth-largest Game 3 margin of victory in best-of-7 NBA playoff history, and is the largest Game 3 margin of victory in best-of-7 NBA playoff history ever by a team trailing 2-games-nil.

After Game 2: The Cleveland Cavaliers hosted and defeated the Washington Wizards 116-pts-86 to take a 2-games-nil lead in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1041. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 2-games-nil, the Cleveland Cavaliers have a series record of 2-0 and a Game 3 record of 1-1; when trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 2-games-nil, the Washington Wizards have a series record of 1-2 and a Game 3 record of 1-2. The thirty-point series 1041 Game 2 victory margin ties Game 2 of series 924 (in which the Miami Heat defeated the New Orleans Hornets 93-pts-63 in their 2004 NBA Preliminary-round series) for the fifth-largest Game 2 victory margin in the history of best-of-7 NBA playoff series.

After Game 1: The Cleveland Cavaliers hosted and defeated the Washington Wizards 93-pts-86 to take a 1-game-nil lead in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1041. The Washington Wizards now own a 0-5 record in first games of best-of-7 NBA playoff series. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 1-game-nil, the Cleveland Cavaliers have a series record of 4-0 and a Game 2 record of 2-2; when trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 1-game-nil, the Washington Wizards have a series record of 1-3 and a Game 2 record of 1-3.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2007-08 regular season, Cleveland finished two games ahead of Washington. From 1947 through the 2007 NBA Finals, when NBA teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by two regular-season games, they have posted a 15-11 (.577) best-of-7 series record in those series against those opponents. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1041 is the fifth best-of-7 NBA playoff series for Washington as the Wizards, and the 12th for Cleveland. In best-of-7 NBA playoff series, Washington as the Wizards has a 1-3 series record, a 1-2 Prelim-round series record, and a 0-4 Game 1 record, while Cleveland has a 6-5 series record, a 2-0 Prelim-round record, and a 4-7 Game 1 record. Series 1041 is the third best-of-7 NBA playoff series meeting between Washington and Cleveland; Cleveland won the previous two series (series 975 in the 2006 NBA Preliminary round; series 1006 in the 2007 NBA Preliminary round). Cleveland also defeated the predecessor of the Washington Wizards, the Washington Bullets, in series 315 (in the 1976 NBA Quarterfinals).