Wizards blow lead, then work magic

Washington beat Chicago 112-110 for a 3-2 series lead.
CHICAGO (AP) -- Gilbert Arenas bailed out the Washington Wizards after they'd blown a 22-point lead and were ready to collapse.
That's what stars do.
Now Arenas and his team are one victory away from the second round of the NBA playoffs for the first time in 23 years.
Arenas hit a 14-foot jumper at the buzzer Wednesday night, foiling a remarkable comeback by the Chicago Bulls and giving Washington a 112-110 victory and a 3-2 series lead.
"I knew I was going to make it. I shoot those shots every day," Arenas said.
"You dream about it when you are growing up and when you get that chance, you don't want to blow it."
Chicago's Jannero Pargo hit a 3-pointer, his third in a 34-second span of the fourth quarter, to tie the game with 5.2 seconds remaining.
Big shot
But after a timeout, Arenas took the ball out front, moved left with Kirk Hinrich guarding him and hit one of the biggest shots of his career.
"I think he [Hinrich] was counting the time in his head, too, so with 3 seconds left he probably thought I was going to pull up for the '3'," Arenas said.
"But I was going to take one more dribble and try to use my athleticism and just jump over him."
His soft jumper sent his teammates to the floor in celebration and silenced a United Center crowd that had been roaring throughout the Bulls' comeback.
"The crowd wasn't in it until the last 2 minutes of the game, so going to overtime wouldn't have been good for us because they had all the momentum. It would have seemed crazy," Arenas said.
Game 6 is Friday at the MCI Center and the Wizards have beaten the Bulls 10 straight times on their home floor. The last time Washington won a playoff series was in 1982, when it defeated New Jersey 2-0.
Dwindling hope
Chicago's chances seem slim, especially after such a devastating defeat on the heels of such a spirited comeback.
"I was just trying to play him the best I could. I knew he would shoot the ball," Hinrich said of his defense on Arenas.
"I tried to challenge it without fouling, hoping he'd miss and we'd go to overtime. It was a tough shot. If I had to do it over again, I would not let him go left. It's just heartbreak. ... It's a dagger."
The Wizards were wilting in the stretch, missing six free throws in the final 2 minutes and squandering a 10-point lead with 41 seconds remaining.
"We're not satisfied with the way we closed it out," relieved Wizards coach Eddie Jordan said.
"I had a chance for the last shot, but we shouldn't have been in that predicament," Arenas said.
"Their guards were shooting lights out and made four consecutive '3s'. You don't see that often, especially under that kind of pressure. Pargo didn't play all game, came in and was 3-for-3."