As the clock sprinted toward double zero, the guy with a single zero on his jersey calmly dribbled across halfcourt. He faked right, launched a deep jumper and, before it swished through the net at the buzzer, Gilbert Arenas turned and headed for the locker room.
There was no need to watch. The result, in his mind, was obvious.
“Once I let it go, I was like, ‘That’s in, I don’t even need to look at this one,’” he said.
Arenas’ heroics gave Washington a 108-105 victory over visiting Milwaukee in frontof 14,632 fans. He scored 13 of his game-high 32 points in the fourth quarter. He also passed for eight assists and grabbed 11 boards.
Those are the kinds of numbers MVP seasons are made of. And, yes, some MVP chants could be heard after the basket, launched from approximately 30 feet. It came after Charlie Bell missed a 3-pointer for Milwaukee.
“The guy has been playing like this all year,’’ Wizards forward Antawn Jamison, who had 22 points, including a 3-pointer for a 101-99 lead late. “I haven’t been part of a team where a guy was performing as well as the way he’s performing.’’
There’s also the personality. After the game, as a teammate playfully pointed out that others were open on the final trip downcourt, Arenas, who turns 25 on Saturday, said, “I bet they were.’’ Later, he said, “My swag was phenomenal.’’
There was a chance Arenas wasn’t going to play because of a bad shoulder. He also had to reacquaint himself with the NBA’s old leather ball that made its return last night.
But, as Arenas pointed out, he had confidence on the final shot because he had made all eight of his previous attempts from that range.
“It was like a flick of the wrist,’’ Wizards coach Eddie Jordan said. “He’s amazing.”
Arenas’ effort helped wipe out a nine-point Milwaukee lead in the third quarter.
Bounce passes
» Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas and Bucks center Andrew Bogut spent time jawing with each other. It started after Bogut took the ball from Arenas’ hands after he was called for traveling and stood in disbelief. Arenas said something to him and later Bogut complained to an official. Another time down court, Arenas later threw an elbow at Bogut as he ran past. And Bogut delivered a hard foul on Arenas in the third quarter.
» Washington’s Caron Butler scored 21 of his 29 points in the first half. He made his first nine field goals. Butler also finished with nine assists.
