Series is a tale of tears

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The Wizards only can hope that the three referees show a spine around the Big Crybaby in Game 6 on Fun Street tonight.

The Wizards only can hope that in the final seconds of the game -- if it comes down to the final seconds again -- that their two best defenders in the starting lineup have not fouled out.

Caron Butler and Jared Jeffries were on the bench with six fouls, as the Big Crybaby made his journey to the basket along the baseline that culminated in a game-winning layup with nine-tenths of a second left in overtime in Game 5.

So stunned were the Wizards by this cruel twist that they failed to call a timeout that would have given them possession of the ball at midcourt and a chance to attempt a higher-percentage shot than the heave of Gilbert Arenas.

The Wizards have dropped two games in the series by one point -- one on a traveling violation of the Big Crybaby that somehow went unnoticed in Game 3 -- and so now they find themselves on the verge of elimination.

The officiating remains the swing element in the series, mostly because the Big Crybaby has a meltdown of 2-year-old proportions each time a call goes against him that eventually conditions the three referees to feel his pain.

Yet the Wizards left Game 5 knowing they could have performed with more conviction after the Big Crybaby sat for the final 6:53 of the third quarter with four fouls. They left the game knowing that one or two more defensive rebounds might have turned the game in their favor.

They also left the game knowing the Cavaliers had 14 more free throw attempts than them and that the absence of Butler and Jeffries hurt mightily on the final play involving the Big Crybaby, who might as well play in the diaper of a sumo wrestler.

The Wizards have no time to dwell on the Big Crybaby who has a lot of Baby Huey in him. They have no time to wallow in the disappointment of Game 5, though instant ESPN Classic it was.

This one was nearly a statistical draw, thanks to the help of the three referees mesmerized by the sight of a 21-year-old man gone infantile.