Opportunity Lost

Wizards Unable To Take Advantage Of O'Neal's Absence

Jersey dripping in sweat, Miami Heat center Alonzo Mourning clapped his hands last night and nodded as the final seconds ticked off and a stunned MCI Center crowd looked on, speechless. There was reason for silence because Miami's Shaquille O'Neal, the most dominant player of the modern era, didn't make an appearance on the floor until the Washington Wizards had already lost, 102-95.

And O'Neal, dressed in a long, beige sport coat, olive-colored pants and matching vest, only stepped on the court to salute Mourning, guard Dwyane Wade and the rest of his teammates who placed the Wizards on the brink of elimination in his absence.

The Wizards have rallied from huge deficits all season. They proved their resilience in the first round, losing their first two games against the Chicago Bulls only to win the next four. But the latest hole appears insurmountable -- not only has no team has ever come back from an 0-3 deficit to win a best-of-seven NBA series, but the Wizards have lost 11 consecutive games against the Heat.

"We still think we can beat them," point guard Gilbert Arenas said after scoring 20 points and setting a franchise playoff record with 14 assists. "We have to win four in a row, but we're only focusing on the next one. We did it against the Bulls to get here. Win one, get another. Win again, get another. We're not going to give up just because it's 0-3."

But where exactly do the Wizards find hope? At home -- where they had won the past seven games -- against the Shaq-less Heat, they may have had perhaps their best opportunity to steal a win.

Matched up mostly against guard Larry Hughes, who was named to the NBA all-defensive first team earlier in the day, Wade scored 31 points with nine rebounds. And, Mourning, had 14 points, 13 rebounds and 4blocks in his first playoff start in four seasons. He also provided the game's signature moment with 39 seconds left when he stuffed Hughes on an attempted slam dunk, dropped down on one knee and flexed his right biceps.

Without O'Neal, who had been limited to career playoff lows of 18 points and 8.2 rebounds this postseason before sitting last night with two bruised thighs, the Heat was too strong and too deep. It improved to 7-3 in games O'Neal didn't start.

"That's even scarier, when they said Shaq wasn't playing," forward Antawn Jamison said after scoring a team-high 21 points on his sore right knee. "I think it was a sigh of relief for our big fellas, but as a team, we knew it was going to be a tougher task. We knew Alonzo Mourning was going to come out and prove that he can still play. We knew Dwyane Wade -- somebody we haven't stopped all series -- was going to come in and put the team on his back. We didn't think it was going to be easier. That never was in our mind as a team at all."

The Wizards entered the game short-handed as well, with reserve center Etan Thomas forced to sit after aggravating his strained abdomen in the second quarter on Tuesday. Thomas will attempt to play on Saturday, as the goal for the Wizards has been simplified: Avoid getting swept.

"We talked about how hard we fought. We talked about how we can't be ashamed of where we are. We've had a great season thus far," said Coach Eddie Jordan, who is 0-14 in his career against the Heat. "And it would be great to symbolize this season by not allowing them to close us out, here at home. That would be a tremendous achievement for us, to stand our ground and say with a lot of pride and lot of conviction, 'They won't close us out at home.' "

The Wizards held a halftime lead for the first time this series, and they extended it to 60-52 when Arenas dribbled around Damon Jones and scooped an underhanded layup around the outstretched arms of Mourning with 9minutes 32 seconds remaining in the third quarter. The celebration was short-lived, however, as the Heat scored the next 13 points, taking a 65-60 lead when Eddie Jones hit two free throws.

The Heat outscored the Wizards 30-19 and shot 55.6 percent in the third quarter, with players making just about every shot they dared to attempt, including an incredible shot by reserve guard Keyon Dooling, who hit a high arching jumper from behind the backboard and landed on his backside. Arenas had four turnovers in the period and shouldered the blame for the loss.

"We made a lot of mistakes in the third period," Arenas said, looking as if he were ill. "I played bad in the second half and I cost my team the game."

The Wizards got within three points when Hughes (19 points) hit a three-pointer with 6:46 left, but Wade helped the Heat extended the lead back to 10, forcing some fans to hit the exits early.

The Wizards again got within 98-95 when Arenas drove through all five Heat defenders to sink a layup with 1:48 left, but after a series of bad shots by the Wizards, the Heat made them pay. Wade then tried to work a pick-and-roll with Udonis Haslem (12 points, 12 rebounds). Wade tried to dribble between center Brendan Haywood and Hughes, but he lost the ball and collided with Haywood. Haslem, standing alone just inside the foul line, let the ball roll right to him and he drained an open 14-foot jumper.

Wade then sealed the game, when he drove around Hughes and hit a difficult running layup over Haywood. Wade hit the ground, hopped up, untucked his shirt and howled. O'Neal stood and applauded.

"Everybody knows that this isn't the same Shaq we've seen in past years, because of the knee, thigh or whatever it is that's slowing him down," Haywood said. "When they turn it over to Dwyane Wade, that's when they made they're big runs. Dwyane Wade puts pressure on everybody. He was in attack mode all night long."

Guard Juan Dixon, with 16 points, provided all the bench scoring for the Wizards and Haywood had 15 points and eight rebounds. "Win or go home," Haywood said. "It's like an NCAA tournament game for us."