The play resembled one of many in the pre-February days. It was simple, but it important. And it showed just what Washington missed for a month.
Gilbert Arenas drove intothe lane, calmly dished the ball back to Antawn Jamison, who buried an open three-pointer.
Meanwhile, another stat spoke to the Big Three’s overall importance — as if anyone needed a reminder. In the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 107-106 win over Golden State, the Big Three combined for 21 of the Wizards’ 26 points.
The Big Three is not fully back to what it was pre-Antawn Jamison knee injury. But as the Wizards prepare to host Toronto tonight, they’ll do so with a healthy trio of Arenas, Jamison and Caron Butler. That’s good news considering the Raptors trail Washington by two games in the Eastern Conference.
“I’ve heard it almost every game, ‘This is a big game for you,’” Wizards coach Eddie Jordan said. “Look, we feel healthy and think we’ll play at a high level and we’ll see where the chips fall.”
Toronto has won the last two against Washington, thanks in large part to forward Chris Bosh, who is averaging 29 points and 11.5 rebounds against the Wizards this season.
“He’s the best young big man in the game,” Wizards center Brendan Haywood said. “He’s agile, fast and quick and has a deadly jump shot.”
But if the Wizards’ Big Three are in synch, the team is in good shape. However, Jordan said they’re still trying to find their rhythm, though the evidence Sunday suggested it’s close to being what it was.
“We’re still a little bit disjointed,” Jordan said. “Caron is the key. He still gets things done for us defensively, gets steals and can get into people. But we don’t have that rhythm, that flow that we had before Antawn went out. We’ll get it back.”
Said Butler, who missed three games with back spasms, “So many other roles have changed since we’ve been gone. … We don’t have to score as much, but we still have to be aggressive and create opportunities for other guys.”
Indeed, the Wizards developed their bench in Jamison’s 12-game absence. Now, Jordan wants to keep giving as many players minutes as possible. Sunday, all 12 players received at least four minutes.
“Guys are trying to get their rhythm and I made the decision to play a lot of guys and sometimes guys have to adjust to that,” Jordan said. “[But] everyone had a hand in the win. We need that. If you maximize your minutes with great play, you earn more. We have some competition within the team to make us better.”
Wiz notes
» The Big Three of Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler have averaged a combined 52.5 points the past two games, their first together in more than a month. They’re averaging a combined 68.1 this season.
» Wizards center Brendan Haywood, who missed Sunday’s win with back spasms, is expected to start tonight against Toronto.
» The Wizards are still waiting for test results on forward/center Michael Ruffin, who has missed the past four games with headaches and dizziness. They expect to see the results today or tomorrow.
