Arenas May Not Play in Game 4
Knee Continues To Plague Wizard

By Ivan Carter
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, April 26, 2008

The Washington Wizards learned to play without Gilbert Arenas for most of the regular season, and they may have to rely on that experience tomorrow in Game 4 of their first-round series with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Arenas's status for that game is uncertain because of a bone bruise and pinched nerve in his surgically repaired left knee.

According to a source with knowledge of the situation, Arenas's knee problems are also related to the left knee surgery he underwent on Nov. 21 and the subsequent rehabilitation process. The surgery repaired a partial tear of the meniscus and included a microfracture procedure to repair a non-weight bearing bone on the side of that knee.

Arenas was in the starting lineup Thursday for the first time since Nov. 16, but he limped off the court at the end of the first half and did not return. He didn't practice yesterday but wants to play in Game 4, even if it's for another short period of time.

"Actually, I missed the last two practices because I had achiness, and then I had an MRI before the game, and it said I have a bone bruise and a little pinching in the nerve," Arenas said. "I said I would try to go out there and warm it up and see how long I can last. I knew I wasn't going to play more than 10 or 15 minutes. While I was out there, I just wanted to energize the crowd, get everybody excited about being home and get some people involved until my time was up."

Arenas, who is averaging 11 points and three assists in just over 21 minutes in the series, clearly is not the player he was before the first of two surgeries last April.

He lacks much of the speed and lateral quickness that made him so difficult to contain in the open floor, and one of his best weapons -- the ability to stop on a dime and elevate for a jump shot from almost anywhere on the floor -- isn't a part of his game.

Still, Coach Eddie Jordan liked the energy and playmaking that Arenas brought to his two short first-half stints Thursday night.

"It was the first time he came out with the starters, and that really gave us a lot of juice as I like to say," Jordan said. "He was good in the open floor, we got stops, we ran and we got our tempo going, and that got our defense to be as disruptive as it could get. We played the way we used to play."

Arenas said he does not fear that playing will risk serious re-injury and said he would consider a painkilling shot if it will get him on the floor. He cited the examples of teammates who have played through injuries all season as the reason he is reluctant to sit.

Caron Butler has battled hip and knee problems and has a chipped bone in his right wrist. Antonio Daniels will require surgery on his left wrist after the season. And DeShawn Stevenson has not missed a game all season despite nagging knee and back issues.

"They've been playing through pain all year," Arenas said. "Caron with the chipped bone in his wrist, A.D. has a bad wrist, so you have to make sacrifices. If I have to play three or four minutes and get everybody excited, that's what I have to do."

Cleveland leads the best-of-seven series 2-1, but the Wizards seized momentum with Thursday's shockingly easy 108-72 victory at Verizon Center. Regardless of Arenas's availability, the Wizards will try to replicate nearly everything they did in Game 3.

Five players scored in double figures, and the team shot 52.1 percent from the field, got a series-high 41 bench points and forced the Cavaliers into 23 turnovers after they had turned it over only 19 times in Games 1 and 2 combined. Even better, the Wizards aggressively converted those mistakes into 30 points and never allowed LeBron James to dictate the game's tempo as he did throughout the first two games.

And, whether it was Butler splitting a double team before making a spectacular layup over Joe Smith, Andray Blatche making a steal and then scoring on a short jump hook or Roger Mason Jr. sparking a personal 7-0 run by making a three-pointer at the start of the second quarter, the Wizards were in attack mode all night long.

"They completely dominated us at both ends," said James, who finished with 22 points on 10-of-19 shooting but had only three assists against four turnovers and also attempted only four free throws. "They executed, they shot the ball well, and they defended us well. We know that on Sunday, we can't come out and play like that. The series doesn't really start until somebody wins on the other team's home floor."

After dominating Games 1 and 2, James was confronted by more double teams and other defensive tactics by the Wizards, who mixed man-to-man and zone defenses and were able to force James to hover around the perimeter much of the night.

He missed all four of his three-point attempts and had limited opportunities to attack the basket the way he did so often in Cleveland.

"They were very aggressive in the paint with him coming off of screens, whether it was pick-and-rolls or pin-downs [a screen used to free a cutting James]," Cleveland Coach Mike Brown said. "They were aggressive and just making the lane look crowded. He just has to continue trying to drive the basketball and hope to find his teammates."