The uniform wasn’t the problem. It got ditched anyway for one reason: Gilbert Arenas is superstitious. And he was wearing a new uniform; he felt more comfortable in the one he used during the regular season.
So off it went and off he went, leading Washington to victory with 20 fourth-quarter points in a 106-96 win over Cleveland.
Apparently, those superstitions carry over to the fourth quarter. In the final 12 minutes, he likes to do the same thing: score. And often.
He’s done it all series — and all season. Arenas finished the regular season tied for second in fourth-quarter scoring with Cleveland’s LeBron James at 7.3 points, trailing only the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant.
“It’s his competitive nature,” Wizards coach Eddie Jordan said. “He prepares himself for situations like this.”
In this series, Arenas has averaged 14.75 points in the final quarter. For the series, he’s shooting 56 percent from the field in the fourth compared to 41.6 percent for the entire game. He’s also made 25 of 27 free throws in the last quarter. He led the NBA this season with 3.44 free-throw attempts per game in the fourth.
“It’s like you can see it coming,” Wizards guard Antonio Daniels said, “that he’s feeling good about himself and he’s very confident in himself.”
Arenas missed a game-winning shot in Game 3; he’s made his point, however. He’s a clutch player.
“Even though I was sad that I missed the big shot,” Arenas said, “I was like, man, there will be plenty more for me to hit because I’m going to take them.”
That’s because he likes the pressure.
“The [fourth quarter] is when the team knows that’s when I just go on my splurge,” he said. “I try to get everyone involved in the first three periods. The fourth quarter is when I’m selfish.”
