The Washington Wizards are notorious for having bad luck. At least, that is the frame of mind around the beltway. The departures of Chris Webber, Rasheed Wallace, Ben Wallace, and Richard Hamilton right before their primes has haunted our franchise for years. Finally, this year, we had a team with a legitimate shot at reaching the NBA Finals.

I remember sitting in the Verizon Center rafters when Chris Webber’s Pistons came to town right before the All-Star Break. I chanted MVP every time Agent Zero went to the free throw line. The Wizards beat down the Pistons that night. The highlight of the evening was texting “Hibachi� to my friend Tyrell, a diehard Pistons fan from Detroit who was seated a few rows up from the court, every time Gilbert scored. We were on top of the world! I watched my team stink for so long, standing in my seat begging fellow fans to stop booing young Kwame Brown, but those days were over.

We were the number one team in the Eastern Conference and Eddie Jordan was going to coach the All-Star game. Does it get any better?

We all know how the season has gone since then. Jamison misses six weeks with a bad knee. Caron Butler misses a few weeks with a bruised knee and back spasms, only to come back and break his hand, ending his season. Then the straw that broke the camel’s back: Gilbert Arenas, aka. Agent Zero, aka. Mr. Hibachi himself is lost for the season with a torn meniscus. The Washington Wizards’ season is over.

The Wizards have lost six of their last seven and backed their way into the playoffs. To make matters even worse, Arenas’ backup Antonio Daniels went down with bruised back this weekend. Even though we are probably looking at an early exit in this year’s playoffs, I could not be happier with the way our team has played since Gilbert and Caron went down. In fact, I think that Eddie Jordan deserved April’s Coach of the Month Award.

I know you are reading this thinking, “I.G. has lost his Washington, DC sports-loving mind,� but hear me out.

Excluding Sunday’s no-show, our point differential has averaged around five points a game. Not bad, considering four out of those six games were against playoff teams.

During the losing streak, Eddie Jordan has been doing his best coaching job of the season. He has every player our roster playing well beyond what they have been doing all season. Look at the stats:

• Etan Thomas has had two double-double in a six game span including a game of 19pts, 10rebs, and 3blocks against the Charlotte Bobcats.
• Songalia scored 19 in an overtime loss to New Jersey Nets on 7 of 14 shooting.
• DeShawn Steven scored 25 in a win over Atlanta Hawks on 9 of 16 shooting.
• Jarvis Hayes has been shooting 50% from three the past six games and had 29 pts against the New Jersey Nets in an overtime loss shooting 5 of 8 from behind the arc.

Even Big Brendan Haywood had a double-double against the Miami Heat, leading the Wizards in scoring with 14 pts and 10 rebounds over the Big Aristotle.

The player who has really stepped up their game since Gil and Caron have gone down is Antonio Daniels. In his past six starts, Antonio is averaging 14 pts and 10 assists a game, both double his season average. Daniels also leads the league with a 4.10 assist-to-turnover ratio, compared to Steve Nash, the reigning MVP, who sits at eighth-place with a 3.06.

Eddie Jordan has his team playing their hearts out. Gilbert and Caron averaged a combined 47.5 pts, 12 rebounds, 9.7 assists and 4 steals a game this season. If Eddie Jordan and the rest of the team had decided to give up after losing their two best players would anyone have blamed them? Instead, Washington went from a run-and-gun system to a defensive, pound-the-ball-inside team overnight.

Who knew the Wizards were capable of playing such a way. In the win against the Atlanta Hawks the Washington Wizards had 27 assists on their 36 field goals!

Even though the team has lost six of the seven games, they have only been blown out once. And in the Wizards’ defense, Donyell Taylor was the starting point guard. It is almost impossible for any team to keep it close with a second year, third string point guard leading the way. In a league where teams such as Boston, Memphis, Milwaukee, and Seattle tank for an upcoming loaded draft, it’s good to know Eddie Jordan and the Wizards are too proud of a team to stoop so low. I am proud to say that I will be cheering on my depleted team and great coach in the playoffs.