Wait over as Cavaliers gear up for playoffs

CLEVELAND (AP) — As shiny maroon and gold-colored confetti fluttered around them, the Cavaliers circled on the floor after winning their regular-season finale and peeled off their home jerseys.

Then, they kicked off their sneakers and handed the items to some lucky fans.

The Cavs don'’t have to wait until next season for new ones. This spring, there are more games to be played.

For the first time in a long time, Cleveland won'’t be watching the NBA playoffs.

A season of highs and lows, twists and turns and countless hold-your-breath moments from LeBron James will reach another level on Saturday when the Cavaliers host the Washington Wizards in Game 1 of their first-round Eastern Conference series. Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is set for Tuesday.

“Yeah, I think we'’re ready,” said Cavs guard Larry Hughes, who spent three seasons with Washington before leaving as a free agent last summer. “I know we'’ve been tested by our circumstances.”

Sure enough. The Cavaliers (50-32), returning to the playoffs for the first time since 1998, overcame losing Hughes for 45 games after he had two surgeries on a fractured middle finger. The club also withstood other ailments that necessitated continuous lineup changes and the Cavs had to shake off the lingering effects of their second-half collapse in 2005.

Despite a rookie coach, a roster of new players and James having to log too many minutes while contending with double- and triple-teams, the Cavaliers held together and posted one of the most successful regular seasons in franchise history.

“I know there were a lot of people who thought we would fold after the All-Star break, just like last year’’s team did,” said forward Donyell Marshall, who like Hughes, chose the Cavs over the Wizards in free agency. “We didn'’t.”

On their previous visit to the playoffs, the Cavaliers were a young, promising team — a lot like this one, really. Led by a still slender Shawn Kemp in ‘’98, Cleveland lost in four games to a more experienced Indiana Pacers team.

A rookie back then, Cavs center Zydrunas Ilgauskas figured he would be playing regularly in the postseason.

“I thought that was the way it always would be, you play the regular season and go to the playoffs,” said Ilgauskas, the only Cleveland player left from the ‘’98 squad. “Little did I know that it would be a long time before I got back and it really makes me appreciate it.”

Ilgauskas'’ gratitude stems from a series of medical setbacks for the 7-foot-3 Lithuanian, who nearly retired because of serious foot injuries and only came back following a radical procedure during which his left foot was rebuilt.

His comeback parallels one by the Cavaliers, who went 17-65 in the season before James arrived.

“I'’ve gone through a lot in the last eight years,” said Ilgauskas, who except for a recent sprained ankle has been exceptionally durable the past four seasons. “All the work to put my body in shape to play in the NBA paid off. I was thinking about that when we made the playoffs, but this is hopefully just the first step. This team is good enough to win in the playoffs, too.”

The Wizards took the season series between the clubs, going 3-1 by winning the final three matchups.

Recently, a few of the Washington players said they would prefer playing the Cavaliers.

“They won the series,” coach Mike Brown said. “I would want to play us, too.”

Although the No. 4 seed, the Cavaliers are seen by many as the underdog in the series because of their lack of recent playoff experience. The Wizards, on the other hand, made it to the playoffs a year ago, eliminating Chicago in the first round before losing to Miami in the conference semifinals.

But Cleveland does have players who have been to the postseason, including Hughes, who feels the biggest adjustment to playing deeper in April is staying focused during a time when there are distractions — family and friends in need of tickets, media, the warmer weather — all around.

“A lot of people say the fouls are harder, the intensity is more in the playoffs,” Hughes said. “But during the course of the season there are four or five big games that are playoff-type games, so you kind of know the intensity level.

“But for me it’s all about the focus. You know, the sun is out, every day is nice from this point on, but you’ve got to be ready to play.”