WASHINGTON (AP) -Gilbert Arenas was listed in the starting lineup Thursday night for the Washington Wizards, who needed a spark after going down 0-2 in their playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The three-time All-Star started for the first time since Nov. 16, his last game before having a second surgery on his left knee. He missed 66 straight games and had been used as a reserve since returning late in the regular season.
Arenas was on the starting lineup sheet made available about 30 minutes before tip-off. A few minutes earlier, coach Eddie Jordan said Antonio Daniels would be starting at point guard but left open the possibility of a last-minute switch.
“It has to be the right time and at the right place, so is this the right time and right place?” Jordan said. “It still could be an 11th hour adjustment, but right now Antonio’s starting.”
Arenas scored 24 points on 8-for-16 shooting in Game 1, but he labored in Game 2, scoring 7 points on 2-for-10 shooting in the Wizards’ 30-point loss.
Arenas wasn’t the only change for Game 3. Several Wizards had spent some time with the barber.
Caron Butler had his nickname – “Tough Juice” – etched into the back of his hair. DeShawn Stevenson and Andray Blatche sported mohawks, and Nick Young showed off a modified high-top fade.
“It’s a little something I pulled out of the archives right there,” said Butler, who, like most of his teammates, has been struggling with his shot. “I want to go with the ’80s theme, so I put ‘Tough Juice’ on the back. It’ll help my rhythm out. It ain’t been there, so I’m trying to get it lined back up.”
Even Jordan had a colorful comment when asked about his message over the last couple of days. He said the theme was “trust and discipline” and called himself the “enforcer” of the discipline.
The mild-mannered Jordan? An enforcer?
“In a general, passive sense, yes,” said.
But “passive” and “enforcer” don’t seem to go together.
“Well, it can. It’s sort of a Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King sort of thing,” Jordan said with a chuckle. “Nonviolent protest.”
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