Gooden conceded by shaving over the summer, allowing Stevenson to show up to camp (mostly) clean shaven. Big mistake. The Wizards opened the year 2-12, prompting at least one person to blame Stevenson's noticeable lack of face fur.
After helping the Wiz pick up their third win last night, Stevenson is a believer. From the Washington Post:
He also heeded the advice of his mother, who told him he needed to grow back his beard to regain his shooting touch. The beard hasn't grown back fully, but for at least one night, Stevenson proved to children everywhere that you should listen to your mother.
"Yes. I'm keeping the beard," Stevenson said. "We got one on the road against a team we thought we gave away the first game. This is a new month. We are 1-0 on this month."
The one-word answer to this question is a resounding "no," but let me get a few things out there before I get into my issue with David West.
I understand that the cheek-tap on Dirk in the first round was minor, and said so at the time. I also understand that this clip I'm about to show you did take place against the Spurs -- who are known for playing chippy -- and that a few words and clapping in someone's face isn't exactly the same thing as standing over someone grabbing your crotch after a dunk. I get all that. But I still find it annoying that David West -- who just became an All-Star this season and has only done so thanks to Chris Paul -- is now acting like a superstar who thinks he's the best player on the court.
Here's the incident with Oberto that occurred during the Hornets' Game 2 blowout of the Spurs. You can see (in super-fast motion) West clap in Oberto's face after the foul is called and have a few brief words with him as well.
I hate to break it to him, but West is basically the equivalent of the 2004 version of Kenyon Martin, albeit with a slightly better jump shot.
Is tonight the night that that LeBron James and the Cavaliers move on, and DeShawn Stevenson and the Wizards go home? I'd say it's fairly likely. While Stevenson couldn't feel his face at home, in Cleveland during games one and two of this series he shot an uninspiring 5-16 from the field. And four of those makes meant absolutely nothing, as they occurred during the Cavs' 30-point Game 2 victory.
While DeShawn has pulled out all the stops to make himself the story of this series, the reality is that two trademarks of this Wizards team -- bad shot selection and even worse defense -- are the real reasons that the Cavs need just one more win to eliminate them for the third straight year. Let's watch it unfold together, shall we? See you back right here at around 6PM EST.
Al Horford caught a lot of flack this weekend for taunting a fallen Paul Pierce after making a shot, but what generally went unreported was Pierce's reaction: he actually got up and followed Horford past the halfcourt line until Brian Scalabrine retrieved him.
Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce and Washington Wizards guard DeShawn Stevenson have each been fined $25,000 for making menacing gestures during games played this weekend, it was announced today by Stu Jackson, NBA Executive Vice President Basketball Operations.
The incident involving Pierce occurred in the fourth period of the Celtics' 102-93 Game 3 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on April 26. The incident involving Stevenson occurred in the first period of the Wizards' 100-97 Game 4 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on April 27.
Say what you want about all the silly posturing between Jay-ZLeBron James and Soulja BoyDeShawn Stevenson, and how it might be a little over the top and excessive. But it's making for one hell of a physically-styled basketball rivalry. Sunday was no exception, with Delonte West burying a monster shot only to have Gilbert Arenas not answer the call at the buzzer.
So, micro-fashioned, the biggest story might be the role players on the Cavs stepping up while the [injured, I suppose] stars on the Cavs step down. But in terms of the macro, it's the near violent nature with which these teams are attacking each other.
Every single game of the Wizards/Cavs series has been a blowout, and yet the history and war of words between these two teams has made it one of the most compelling of the postseason.
Soulja Boy: I mean, I've got to support who support me, and that's the Wizards. I mean, I'm a fan of LeBron James, but when it's all said and done I've got to back who backing me up. You know? [Stevenson] called me and invited me out, he said 'I'm gonna fly you out, you just come, rock the jersey, sit courtside,' and I came out.
Dan Steinberg: So are you gonna help the Wizards win?
Soulja Boy: I mean, if it comes down to it, we're gonna have to do what we got to do to win, you feel me? I came all the way out here, we gotta take it home. If it comes down to it, you'll see. For real. We can't lose tonight man. I'm gonna have to talk to him, be like 'It's time to rock,' you know what I'm saying? I've got a lot riding on this.
If you're a Wizards fan, there's good news and bad news, or at least good news and not-so-good, maybe-bad, too-early-to-say news.
First, the good news: after talking the talk, DeShawn Stevenson finally walked the walk, leading the Wizards with 19 points in a rout over the Cavs. All five of his field goals came from long-distance, including a couple of shots right in LeBron James' grill. Maybe it was playing at home, maybe it was the freshly shorn mohawk, maybe it was having Soulja Boy sitting courtside. Who knows? Who cares? It happened, that's the important part.
Now, the not-so-good news: Gilbert Arenas made his first start since returning from surgery on his right knee but lasted just 10 minutes before leaving the game with a bone bruise in the same joint. From the Washington Times:
Arenas suffered the injury with 6:03 left in the first quarter and went to the bench. He spent the first half of the second quarter on an exercise bike, then played four minutes before leaving the game for good. He limped to the locker room, wincing and unable to bend his leg at all.
Ah, Mike Bibby. Have you learned nothing from DeShawn Stevenson? Don't get me wrong, I find it very refreshing to hear NBA players call out the opposing team's fans or star player. But if you don't perform after doing so, prepare to feel the wrath of those you taunted. In DeShawn's case it was Damon Jonesof all people; in Bibby's case it was the Celtics' fans.
In case it wasn't abundantly clear, that was a chant of "Rondo's better" that rained down from the Celtics' faithful. I'm not sure how much of a burn this really is for Bibby, considering the fans are merely pointing out what has been -- at least in this series -- simply an irrefutable fact.
Damon, I hate to break it to you like this, but as bad as things are for DeShawn Stevenson right now, I'm guessing he probably wakes up, looks in the mirror and says to himself, "well, at least I'm not Damon Jones." Those were your only three points of the entire series, and I wouldn't be surprised if they were your last three points. Please go away. Now.
I hate talking about ratings when it comes to sports because I find them inherently meaningless. More sporting events are shown on cable than ever before, which means that ratings are almost always down when compared to previous years when they were shown on over-the-air network television. Plus, there's just more competition for our entertainment needs these days, such as TiVo and the internet. But knowing this, I'm actually impressed to see that the NBA's ratings increased by more than 30% over last year. From Sports Media Watch:
Meanwhile, ESPN's opening day tripleheader saw soaring ratings. Cavaliers/Wizards drew a 2.1 in the ratings-unfriendly 12:30 PM timeslot, up 50% from a 1.4 for Nets/Raptors last year. Mavericks/Hornets drew a 2.4, up 60% from a 1.5 for last year's Magic/Pistons game. The highest rated game of the day on ESPN was Jazz/Rockets, which drew a 2.5 rating -- up 39% from a 1.8 for the same game last year.
Before the NBA spins this too much, I have a couple of theories for the increase. For one, last year's Pistons/Magic series was a predictable yawner, while Cavs/Wiz has been built up in the press thanks to DeShawn Stevenson, LeBron James and Soulja Boy. The Nets/Raps series was actually entertaining last year, but ratings (as far as I'm aware) don't take into account Canadian viewers, so it stands to reason that two U.S. teams are producing higher numbers.
But still, an increase is an increase no matter what the explanation, and it's nice to see more people tuning into what should be one of the most exciting playoffs (in the West, at least) in recent memory.
Last season had no shortage of storylines, but one of my favorites was the beard growing contest between DeShawn Stevenson and Drew Gooden. (The NBA: where "Abe Lincoln lookalikes" happens.) 
Every single game of the Wizards/Cavs series has been a blowout, and yet the history and war of words between these two teams has made it one of the most compelling of the postseason. 
I hate talking about ratings when it comes to sports because I find them inherently meaningless. More sporting events are shown on cable than ever before, which means that ratings are almost always down when compared to previous years when they were shown on over-the-air network television. Plus, there's just more competition for our entertainment needs these days, such as TiVo and the internet. But knowing this, I'm actually impressed to see that the NBA's ratings increased by more than 30% over last year. From 
