BOSTON -- Jerry Stackhouse thinks the Washington Wizards' success might have as much to do with what they're doing off the court as what they do on it.
Stackhouse had 37 points on Monday night in a 100-95 victory over the Boston Celtics as the Wizards won their fourth straight game -- their longest winning streak of the season. They haven't lost since Dec. 30, when Stackhouse made a resolution to spend more time bonding with his new teammates.
"To spend some time away from basketball has definitely been good for us," said Stackhouse, who was traded to Washington in September after 4½ years with the Detroit Pistons. "These things go a long way to build a team."
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| Washington Wizards guard Michael Jordan uses his jersey to hide his laughter after he slipped on the floor making a play late in their 100-95 victory over the Boston Celtics at the Fleet Center in Boston, Monday, Jan. 6, 2003. (AP) |
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Michael Jordan converted a three-point play with 32.8 seconds left for his only points of the fourth quarter, and the Wizards improved to .500 (17-17) for the first time since Nov. 22.
"The team is starting to look like a team," said Jordan, who also had 11 rebounds and seven assists as he took over as point guard in the fourth. "There's so many ways I can help the team. It's not just scoring."
Stackhouse thinks part of the secret is team bonding. Ever since the team's Christmas party, he said, players have spent more time together away from basketball, getting together after practice or going to dinner in groups of three or four.
"When I was in Detroit, everybody did it," he said. "It's not something you force guys to do. Guys have to want to be part of a team. That's what you're seeing."
Boston took its final lead, 95-93, on two free throws by Tony Battie with 1:02 left. But Jordan got Eric Williams turned around to the right of the basket before putting up a soft jumper and drawing the foul.
"It was a heartbreaking loss," said Paul Pierce, who led Boston with 30 points. "It hurts because it's a game we felt like we should have won."
Jordan was coming off a season-high 41 points in a victory over Indiana, a performance that helped him earn NBA player of the week honors for the first time since coming out of retirement last season. He had 16 points through three quarters but hadn't scored in the fourth as the teams swapped leads eight times, with two ties.
The Celtics led 89-82 with 6:48 left in the game, but Stackhouse scored 13 of the Wizards' final 18 points to seal the victory.
The Celtics had been waiting for a rematch ever since Halloween, when they lost their second game of the season in Washington 114-69 -- the worst loss in the storied franchise's history.
Battie, who returned to the starting lineup after missing two games with a sore knee, had 10 points and 15 rebounds.
Boston led by as many as 10 points in the third quarter and led 63-55 with 4:29 left before Washington scored the next 11 points.
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