Heat's Mourning Moves Like Old

Former Hoya Steps Up With 14 Points, 13 Rebounds in Place of Ailing O'Neal

Since Gilbert Arenas exhorted Washington Wizards fans to vigorously boo the opposition at the beginning of these playoffs, four consecutive MCI Center sell-out crowds have largely obliged, most notably during pregame introductions.

Last night, though, only four Miami Heat starters were jeered. The mild cheers reserved for starting center Alonzo Mourning might have signified leftover good feelings for the former Georgetown star. Equally likely, the late-arriving crowd was buoyed by the realization that, yes, that was Mourning taking the floor, and yes, that was an injured Shaquille O'Neal standing near the Heat bench in a natty bronze and beige outfit.

A moment's pause would have revealed that Miami's winning percentage in nine games without O'Neal -- .667 -- was still better than Washington's. And also this: That the "backup" taking the floor was a seven-time all-star just two years older than O'Neal, well rested and with plenty of remaining skills to help propel Miami to a 102-95 victory.

"I haven't forgotten how to play this game," said Mourning, 17 months removed from a kidney transplant that seemingly had ended his career.

Without O'Neal to contend with, the Wizards amassed a 36-34 advantage inside; they had been outscored by 14 inside in both Games 1 and 2. But Mourning kept Miami in the game in the first half, and did enough in the fourth quarter to preserve the win, altering and blocking shots, hitting a crucial jump hook as the Wizards threatened and finishing with 14 points, his second-highest total since signing with the Heat as a free agent on March 1.

"You've got to give our front office a lot of credit for making that move. I don't know where we would have been tonight had that move not been made," Miami Coach Stan Van Gundy said. "He was changing shots all over the place, rebounding the ball, had some timely baskets. He was tremendous."

And yet the game started poorly for Mourning, who, despite the early cheers, said "a lot of people in the stands were against me, so it didn't feel like I was back home to tell you the truth."

In the game's opening moments, he threw one pass away, saw another offering from Dwyane Wade soar past him and out of bounds, lost a jump ball to Jared Jeffries and was tied up by Jeffries and Arenas, forcing another jump ball.

"He's so excited to be out there he couldn't even move, couldn't catch the ball," Van Gundy said.

Soon enough, though, the 35-year-old resembled the player who finished third in most valuable player voting five years ago rather than the journeyman who averaged 7.6 points and 5.4 rebounds in a season in which he was traded from New Jersey to Toronto and then waived by the Raptors before landing with his former team.

Snaring offensive rebounds and jamming them home one-handed, Mourning had six points and four rebounds in the first seven minutes and finished with 14 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocks in 35 minutes, his most time since April 10.

Throw in 12 rebounds from forward Udonis Haslem and the O'Neal-less Heat outrebounded the Wizards, had more than double their blocked shots and got more points from their starting front court.

O'Neal was listed as a probable starter, but when official lineups were distributed about 20 minutes before tip-off, he had been removed. Mourning, who sat out the 2002-2003 season because of kidney problems and played in only 12 games the following year, had been warned earlier, after the morning shoot-around.

"He said, 'Look, big fella, I'm going to need you tonight,' " Mourning recalled. "I just told him to say no more. I've been working my butt off for this type of opportunity."