Washington Wizards Coach Eddie Jordan made one of the key strategic moves of Game 3. During key runs in both the second and third quarters, the Wizards employed a zone defense, which kept forwards Etan Thomas and Michael Ruffin near the basket while the guards fanned out around the perimeter and took the Bulls out of the pick-and-roll game that was so effective in Games 1 and 2.
The zone was effective even when Chicago Coach Scott Skiles had shooters like Ben Gordon and Eric Piatkowski on the floor because the Wizards closed out and got a hand up in the shooters' face. Also, Thomas and Ruffin were active on the defensive boards so the Bulls weren't getting some of the second shots they got in Games 1 and 2.
Washington won Game 3, 117-99.
"They've played some zone against us all year but tonight we became tentative and we were slow," Skiles said. "We missed some shots and then the parade to the basket began."
The Wizards have mixed the zone with their man-to-man defenses all season, but Jordan said his team has done a better job of executing the zone recently.
"The zone was big today," Jordan said. "It allows us to keep our bigs in and our smalls out. You don't give them what they are looking for as far as their rotations."
After torching the Wizards for 30 points in Game 1 and scoring 14 in Game 2, Gordon -- the Bulls' rookie guard -- made only two of nine field goal attempts and finished with eight points in 25 minutes yesterday. Gordon has been bothered by a cold in recent days, did not practice Friday and clearly lacked energy during Game 3. At one point, he even asked Skiles to be taken out of the game.
Laying Off the Refs
Bulls forward Antonio Davis was ejected from the game after picking up his sixth foul with 5 minutes 3 seconds remaining. Davis charged referee Tony Brothers and appeared to nearly make contact but held off. That was a wise move considering that Boston forward Antoine Walker was suspended for one game after making contact with Tom Washington during Boston's Game 3 loss to Indiana. Ironically, Washington was also a part of yesterday's crew at MCI Center.
"Believe me, if I wanted to touch him, it wouldn't have been an accident," said Davis, who scored 13 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in 30 minutes. . . .
Gilbert Arenas (32), Larry Hughes (21), Antawn Jamison (21) and Etan Thomas (20) each scored more than 20 points for the Wizards yesterday. The last time the Washington franchise had four players score 20 or more points in the same playoff game was April 10, 1974, when Elvin Hayes (31), Mike Riordan (23), Phil Chenier (22) and Archie Clark (20) pulled it off during the Capital Bullets' 101-94 victory over the Knicks.
Hitting the Line
The Wizards attempted 49 free throws yesterday after attempting 69 combined in Games 1 and 2. Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich and forward Tyson Chandler were hounded by foul trouble. Still, rookie guard Chris Duhon passed on a chance to criticize the referees after the game.
"I've never been one to complain about the refs," said Duhon, who scored 12 points. "They attacked the goal and were the more aggressive team. They outhustled us and grabbed every loose ball."
