Wizards Look to Regain Focus

Moments after getting hit across his shooting arm by Pacers center David Harrison -- a play that did not draw a foul call but did result in an air ball late in Wednesday's 99-93 home loss to Indiana -- an incredulous Antonio Daniels walked to the Washington bench and pleaded with Coach Eddie Jordan.

"You've got to say something to these guys," Daniels said of the referees. "That was a foul."

Not long after that play, forward Caron Butler felt he had drawn a charge on Pacers guard Stephen Jackson just before Jackson turned and made a jump shot that gave Indiana a five-point lead.

Butler, who two possessions earlier had been called for a touch foul on a driving Jackson, walked over to veteran referee Jess Kersey and pleaded his case.

"So that means I'm going to get a call down there if I take the ball to the basket, right?" Butler said. "That's how we're calling it right?"

Anyone who has sat within the first few rows on an NBA court knows that such exchanges are commonplace. Indeed, debating with the referees and politicking for calls is as much a part of the modern game as ear-blasting music, scantily clad cheerleaders and overpriced concessions.

However, in back-to-back losses to Memphis and Indiana, the Wizards have allowed frustration over calls or a lack of calls to affect their play, and Jordan made it clear after Wednesday's loss that his team has to regain focus on the things it can control, such as offensive execution, rebounding and better defense, if it wants to get a win tonight at Philadelphia.

"They just outplayed us in the second half, they were more physical than us in the paint and the same things continued to plague us -- poor third-quarter performance, not competing in the paint and being distracted by what's going on at the other end of the court," Jordan said. "We have to learn to deal with adversity and not be distracted by missed calls or good defense being played against us."

Wednesday's loss was especially painful because it allowed Indiana (29-25) to move past the Wizards (29-27) into fifth place in the Eastern Conference. The Wizards occupy sixth place, one game behind Indiana and a half game ahead of seventh-place Philadelphia.

Also, the Pacers were playing without several key players, including Jermaine O'Neal, Jamaal Tinsley and Anthony Johnson, and the Wizards, who had won nine straight games at home, led by eight early in the fourth quarter. Then it slipped away.

"In the third quarter, the same demons came up," Jordan said. "People scoring on us in the paint. We're being distracted. We don't keep our energy level up. It's not like we lose it all together; we hold on and stay in the game but it's been a trend for us."

After the game, several players, including Daniels, Antawn Jamison and Gilbert Arenas, talked about moving beyond officiating and focusing instead on the game itself.

The Wizards appeared to do just that during the second half of Friday's win at Cleveland after a few calls went against them in the first half. In the fourth quarter, they locked in and played good defense against LeBron James and Zydrunas Ilgauskas and hit big shots, including long jumpers by Daniels and Butler in the final minute.

"It's a part of the game," Jamison said. "There are certain calls that go a certain way and in the back of your mind you might know that it wasn't the right call but you have to let it go. The more you get on a ref, the worse it gets."

Wizards Notes: Guard-forward Jared Jeffries sat out yesterday's practice with a mild left calf strain that forced him out of Wednesday's game during the second half. Jeffries will be further evaluated today but said after Wednesday's game that he expected to play tonight against Philadelphia. . . . The Wizards lead the season series with the 76ers 2-0, with both wins coming at MCI Center. . . . Arenas will be featured on ABC's "All Access With Ahmad Rashad" on Saturday at 1 p.m. Eastern.