Left in the dust in the final period, the Wizards fall back down to four games under .500; Jordan embarrassed in crunch time.

Michael Jordan skies for a putback before Kerry Kittles can catch up.

by Fred Schiebel, Head Writer

WASHINGTON -- It was all a mirage.

For three quarters of a game, it looked like the Wizards had the stuff. THE stuff, as in the ability to compete with the beasts of the East. There they were, standing toe-to-toe with the New Jersey Nets, one of the upper echelon teams in the Eastern conference, threatening to end up being one of the few teams to beat them this year.

All those hopes and dreams crashed right through the floor of the MCI Center by the final buzzer however, as Washington was dismantled in the fourth quarter in front of its home crowd 97-82 Monday night. Michael Jordan had what would appear to be another solid game, scoring 30 points, but he turned the ball over eight times, and suffered through possibly his worst performance in the clutch of his career.

"I'd put this loss on me," he said afterwards. "I have no problem admitting my mistakes. I stunk up the joint tonight."

Washington headed into the final twelve minutes in excellent shape against its formidable opponent. Tied 68-68, the bottom then quickly fell out of the offense, as the Washington reserves went 0 for 7 from the field. Nevertheless, they were only down five at that point. Jordan checked back in early, hoping to turn the tide.

Instead he turned the ball over three times, got blocked on three of his field goal attempts (a possible fourth was called for offensive goaltending), and went 2 for 7 from the floor, socring only four points as New Jersey continued to pummel the team at a time when they needed him most.

"Boy, that was ugly," a Wizards season ticketholder said after the game. "I've been a big fan of his for years too, and I was beyond thrilled when I heard he was going to play for us. But sometimes... I wish he hadn't. He definitely struggles a lot more at times than he used to, back in the day. It can be tough to watch."

Perhaps he's just trying to blend in with his new squad. The Wizards shot a lowly 28 percent from the field in the fourth quarter, as the Nets woke up and blasted past Washington, outscoring them 29-14 in the period.

"They were just trying to conserve their energy, like a lot of teams do," Doug Collins said. "Keep the score as close as you can without exerting yourself too much, then turn it on at the end. They put it in another gear that we couldn't compete with.

Keith Van Horn had a monster game, scoring 25 points while grabbing 17 rebounds. Jason Kidd, the differencemaker this year that transformed the Nets from cellar dweller to contender overnight after being traded for Stephon Marbury, scored 22 points while still distributing eight assists. Rookie Richard Jefferson scored 14 points off the bench.

The Wizards lept out to control the game at the outset, coming out of the first quarter up 25-20, then upping their cushion to nine by halftime, 51-42. They shot 48 percent from the field, and held the Nets to a 42 percent mark. Jordan had 16 points by the break (5-9FGs), while Hubert Davis had 12 (finishing with 18 points and a startling team-high 10 rebounds).

Did any pain or injury figure into His Airness's swan dive in the fourth?

"No, my knees are feeling good," said the 38-year-old Jordan, who has been battling tendinitis all season. "I'm feeling a lot better. Once I get in a rhythm, I can get it going, so I think that'll keep all these old-player conversations down a little bit."



Which might not have been the answer many had been hoping for.