For all intents and purposes, the Washington Wizards are nothing more than a token opponent for the Miami Heat in their Eastern Conference semi-final series - a warm-up, if you will, before the Heat?s eventual showdown with the defending champion Pistons in the conference finals (yes, despite Reggie?s heroics and Jeff Foster?s 20 rebounds in Game 2, we still don?t think the Pacers are advancing).  But even I figured the Wiz had a chance to steal a win in Game 3 Thursday night.

 Yet with the stars seemingly aligned for Eddie Jordan?s crew - playing at the MCI Center and no Shaq in the lineup (his first playoff DNP in 165 games) due to a lingering thigh bruise that has hampered him for weeks ? the Wiz could still do no better than a 102-95 loss at home in front of a raucous crowd.  

 Even though point guard Gilbert Arenas played one of his better games in the post-season by actually looking to set up his teammates (14 assists) rather than settle for low-percentage jump shots (although Arenas still managed to chuck up 19 shots), the Heat were nevertheless able to escape with a victory without their main cog in the middle thanks to a total team effort.

 Granted, Dwyane Wade was his usual stellar self, leading the charge with 31 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists despite committing eight turnovers (five in the first quarter alone), but as has been the case all post-season long, it was the play of Miami?s role players that was the difference.

 Alonzo Mourning, who stepped in for the injured O?Neal in the starting lineup, chipped in with 14 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocks in 35 minutes of action.  Eddie Jones had 16 points, as did Damon Jones.  And then, there was Udonis Haslem, who finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds but was particularly a beast on the offensive glass in the fourth quarter, registering three in the final two minutes of the game to seal the victory.

 Weren?t these role players supposed to be nothing without The Big Aristotle clogging up the post?    

 Apparently not.  And that?s the scary thing about the Heat in this post-season - they are anything but a two-man team.  

 ?We continue to prove people wrong,? said Mourning, who made his first playoff start since 2001.  ?We have a lot of guys who understand the goal that we set for ourselves.  The reason why this team was assembled was to win a championship.  And these guys are doing whatever it takes to acheive that goal.?

 With Shaq doubtful to play in Game 4 and unlikely to be 100% at all for the rest of the playoffs, the emergence of the role players will go a long way in determining Miami?s playoff fate?

 Dallas? Dirk Nowitzki has been unable to take his game up another notch in the post-season for much of his career, but the way he has stepped up on and off the court versus the Phoenix Suns has been nothing short of phenomenal.  

 Give Dirk credit for calling out the underachieving Erick Dampier after his scoreless performance in Game 1, a game in which Dampier also allowed his counterpart Amare Stoudemire to erupt for 40 points.  While many questioned Nowitzki for airing out the team?s dirty laundry through the media, Dampier clearly took the criticism to heart and bounced back in Game 2, scoring 15 points and adding 12 rebounds in 27 minutes.

 However, if you?re going to call someone out like Nowitzki did, you better come up with a huge performance yourself, and that?s just what Dirk did, finishing with 23 points and 12 rebounds, including the game-winning shot with 6.8 seconds remaining.  

 As for Dampier?  Well, he?s still the key to the series.  Phoenix is a team who can be had in the low block, and as long as the Mavericks make a conscious effort of involving Dampier early and often ? as they did in Game 2 - Dallas has a chance.  

 With the series now shifting to the American Airlines Center for Games 3 and 4, the pressure is on the shoulders of the Suns, who are clearly facing some adversity for the first time all season.  Not only have they lost home court in the series, but losing Joe Johnson for at least the next two games is huge.  In addition to averaging 19.0 points in the playoffs, Johnson was a key defensive cog for Phoenix.  

 We?ll soon find out if the Suns are indeed for real.  

 Kostas.Bolos@realgm.com