WASHINGTON – LeBron James went up for the shot and had the ball stripped cleanly by Caron Butler, who went the length of the court for a dunk that gave the Washington Wizards a 29-point lead.

That’s right. No contact on the play. Even James couldn’t call it “Hack-a-Bron.” James was beaten on the play and he knew it, much the same way his Cleveland Cavaliers beaten soundly by the Washington Wizards, 108-72 on Thursday night.

Maybe it was the haircuts. Maybe it was Soulja Boy sitting on Row 1. Or the sight of Colin Powell in a Wizards “White Out” T-shirt. Or just the comfort of being home. Or the inspiration of having Gilbert Arenas in the starting lineup, even though he limped out of the game in the first half and might be done for the series.

Actually, there were plenty of reasons the Wizards routed their playoff nemesis in a party at the Verizon Center. DeShawn Stevenson and Butler found their games. James didn’t have his. And, yes, those 15 first-half Cleveland turnovers had a lot to do with it, too.

Stevenson had a “can’t-feel-my-face” 19 points, Butler scored 17 – highlighted by an incredible layup move in the first half – and the Wizards shot 52 percent and took themselves off the ropes by cutting Cleveland’s lead to 2-1 in the first-round series.

One game after setting a franchise playoff record with a 30-point win in Game 2, the Cavaliers set another team postseason mark by losing by 36. The margin of victory also set a Wizards franchise playoff record.

AP-ES-04-24-08 2247EDT