THE 76ERS' destiny is in their own hands. If they handle it with greater care than they handled last night's free throws, they still have a chance.
In the light of their 82-72 victory over visiting Miami, they can shrug merrily at their 27-for-46 performance at the foul line. But Larry Brown pulled up a chair before the game and drove home the importance of not wallowing in the disappointment of Monday night's loss to the Portland Trail Blazers or the negativity that flourished in the aftermath.

"I talked to them a long time before the game, not about basketball,'' the coach said. "Billy [general manager Billy King] and I assembled this team; I would like to have had it happen a lot sooner, [but] I haven't lost confidence in those guys and their character.

"But we've got to truly be a team. That's the thing that's really important. We tried to show that tonight.''

This was a night when the Sixers' grit and determination allowed them to win in spite of themselves. They won for just the fourth time in the last 10 games, tying the Indiana Pacers for No. 6 in the NBA East playoff seedings. They did it with just two players - Allen Iverson (31 points) and Matt Harpring (18) - scoring in double figures.

They did it despite seeing Iverson hobble off with 1minute, 11seconds remaining after bruising his left quadriceps in a collision with the Heat's Eddie Jones.

"Basically, the playoffs have started,'' guard Eric Snow said. "There are five or six teams competing for three or four spots [in the East's eight-team postseason field]. If that's the situation, it's already started.

"Everybody knew we were down, upset. But we fought, we regrouped, put ourselves back in the top eight. Win a game, you're in; lose a game, you're out. If we win our games, everybody else can knock each other off. We have to take it game by game, practice by practice, stay focused."

Allen Iverson and Alonzo Mourning may be Georgetown products, but they are completely different.

For that matter, Iverson is unlike any Miami Heat player, based on his public criticism of teammates after Philadelphia's home loss to Portland on Monday.

"We've got guys out there -- some of them don't know the plays. And that's at crucial parts of the game," Iverson said. "How are you not going to know the plays at a crucial part of the game? There's no excuse for that.

"You're getting paid to play basketball. If a guy is getting a check, he needs to be giving effort every night and earning that money."

That 76ers have lost six of their past nine and are one game under. 500 at 27-28.

It's just the kind of outburst Heat players have avoided all season, even when the team was 18 games under.500 and once holding the league's worst record.

Iverson's statements could motivate his teammates and prompt them to make a late-season surge. But in Miami, that kind of motivation was deemed unnecessary and harmful.

"I think they understand that doesn't go anywhere," Heat coach Pat Riley said of his players. "I think the leaders handled the situation pretty well. We were taking everyone in and handling it here on the court.

"If there were some disagreements, and there were -- there were some guys that were disgruntled -- it was always handled here. If there was that kind of issue where somebody thought that someone else is not getting it done, then it's always best to handle it in-house."

Iverson didn't identify any specific teammates, but within the team players probably were aware of whom Iverson was speaking. What kept Heat players from pointing fingers was that it would have taken too many fingers.

"We just knew that it wasn't just one person," center and Heat tri-captain Alonzo Mourning said. "It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out. Everybody was messing up. It was just a matter of we knew collectively we had to get it done."

Said guard Eddie Jones: "We knew that things were bad, but the sign of a team that's not together is a team that starts pointing. If we started pointing fingers saying this guy or that guy, we might as well close the season down."

And despite a 5-23 record, Heat players were not willing to give up on the season, in part because of their trust in Riley.

"We got a lot of faith in him because he's been there and none of us has been there," Mourning said. "Nobody in here has won anything but some division championships. I explained that to all the guys and let them know that, 'Hey, man, we have no choice but to listen to what he has to say, because none of us has been anywhere. He's been there, he knows what it takes to get there. Doing it our way isn't going to get it done.' "

Mourning, who knows Iverson fairly well, said this might be Iverson's way of firing up his teammates. But Mourning prefers a different style of leadership.

"Yes, you can call your teammates out, but you have to lead by example, too," Mourning said. "There have been plenty of times where I have pulled my teammates up, like at halftime the other day (Sunday).

"I got them in the huddle at halftime and I said, 'Look man, we're playing like a bunch of wimps. They played last night and we played last night. There is no excuse for them to come here on our home court and outwork us. So we have to do something.'

"They responded. By me telling them that, I had to do the same thing. I couldn't just say it and go out there and lolly-gag."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Unfair shake: Riley said the fans' treatment of point guard Anthony Carter on Sunday was uncalled for. Carter, playing in just his second game since abdominal surgery, was booed repeatedly at AmericanAirlines Arena against the Wizards while going 0-for-4 from the field.

"When the fans are booing him, what they can do is they can boo me because I believe in A.C. and I think when he gets his health back and gets his game back... he's going to be fine," Riley said. "But he's got to be a man and got to deal with it."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Can you repeat that? Playoff talk has become so common around Heat camp lately that players are finding new ways to answer those questions.

Take Brian Grant's unusual metaphor: "If we don't win, it doesn't matter what the other teams do because we're still in the cellar. Once we're able to creep up those old steps and go through grandma's door and we're in the kitchen, then we can make dinner, we can make our own table. But right now we're still in the cellar gathering wood."

Heat coach Pat Riley voiced displeasure Tuesday about the AmericanAirlines Arena crowd booing backup point guard Anthony Carter in his second game back from sports-hernia surgery.

Carter shot 0 for 4 from the field, including two airballs, and committed two turnovers in Sunday's win against Washington.

''It bothered me,'' Riley said of the loud booing. ``It's absolutely, totally unfair. This kid is an all-out effort, energy, team-oriented good guy that comes and plays with his heart every single night. Because he misses a few jumpers or has a bad run, like he had the other night, he doesn't deserve that, but it's part of the game.

``When the fans are booing him, what they can do is they can boo me, because I believe in A.C., and when he gets his health back and his game back, he's going to be fine. He's got to be a man and deal with it.''

A radio reporter noted Dolphins quarterback Jay Fiedler also was booed when he was shown on the scoreboard during Sunday's game. ''Well, then that must tell you something about that whole situation,'' Riley said.

Said Carter: ``I didn't let [the boos] affect me. I thought I gave us a pretty good boost in the second half. I'm not worried about the fans. I'm just worried about pleasing my teammates, and playing for Coach.''

ZO THE LEADER

Eddie Jones said Alonzo Mourning has been vocal with teammates. ''He's the leader of this team,'' Jones said. ``If we have a terrible first half, he's telling us about it. Some players like to hear more from the players than the coach.''

A SOL SWITCH

The Sol announced a date change to its 2002 WNBA schedule. A June 7 home game against the Orlando Miracle will be switched to 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 4, at AmericanAirlines Arena.

While the Heat tries to sneak into the playoffs, general manager Randy Pfund and player personnel director Chet Kammerer scurry about the globe, searching for the right player to fill what likely will be the team's highest draft choice in seven years.

''The main thing is to see all the guys we consider first-round picks,'' said Pfund, who will attend more than 50 college games this season. ``Chet identifies who we consider the lottery picks, and I try to see them during the season or the conference tournaments.

``I've upped the schedule a little bit, because we have a first-round pick this year, and it could be potentially higher than usual. We're trying to make doubly sure we see people we want to see.''

The depth of this draft hinges on how many underclassmen go pro, especially at guard and small forward.

If there are a lot of early entrants, the Heat has a decent chance of filling its point guard need, even if its pick is in the teens.

Missing the playoffs would mean a shot -- albeit a very slim one -- of landing likely No. 1 pick Jason Williams, Duke's junior point guard. The non-playoff teams with the worst records have the best chance to get a top three pick in the weighted lottery.

After the first three picks, the order of other non-playoff teams are based on inverse order of record.

Beyond Williams, only two other pure point guards are considered potential lottery picks -- Illinois junior Frank Williams and Boston College junior Troy Bell. Memphis freshman Dujuan Wagner, a combination guard, would be a high lottery pick but said he expects to stay in college.

Gonzaga senior Dan Dickau, a gifted offensive player, is a borderline lottery pick. Other potential first-round point guards include Maryland senior Juan Dixon, an ace defender; former Fresno State standout Tito Maddox, who lost his college eligibility for accepting illegal benefits, and Kansas junior Kirk Hinrich, who has raised his stock. That list also would include Duke's Chris Duhon if he leaves as a sophomore.

Potential second-rounders who could move up if they impress during the NCAA tournament and pre-draft workouts include Arizona junior Jason Gardner and Oklahoma State senior Maurice Baker.

''Dickau is an amazing college player, and so is Gardner,'' ESPN's Dick Vitale said. ``Frank Williams has a tendency to drift. You have a lot of good point guards. Whether they translate into pros remains to be seen.''

But, among seniors, ''the point-gaurd class is thin -- Dickau, Dixon, Baker,'' said Chris Monter, who publishes Monter Draft News. ``Teams think they can get point guards later in the draft, like Jamaal Tinsley and Tony Parker last year.''

Small forward would be the Heat's other main area of need. Duke 6-9 junior Mike Dunleavy, an exceptional shooter who can play guard or forward, would be a top-five pick. Kansas 6-11 junior Drew Goodenwould be a high lottery pick and could play either forward position.

Pfund insists the Heat isn't reluctant to draft a foreign player, despite the regrettable decision to trade a No. 1 pick for Estonian forward Martin Muursepp in 1996.

''There's no big hangover for us from Martin Muursepp,'' Pfund said. ``There are issues of when [foreign players] will be available to you, how long will they take to fit in. But if we had been in position to take a European player recently, we would have considered it.''

Kammerer spent a week in Europe recently, and he and Pfund have scouted 7-6 Chinese center Yao Ming, who will go either first or second in June's draft.

Although it's difficult to envision a Pat Riley-coached team drafting a high school player, Pfund and Kammerer have scouted prep players recently.

Two high school seniors who are considering turning pro are power forwards Amare Stoudemire (a likely top eight pick from the Orlando area) and De'Angelo Collins (a projected mid-to-late first-rounder from Inglewood, Calif.).

''When we see high school players, it's low-key, with no interviews,'' Pfund said.

Ohio high school junior guard LeBron James might be the top pick if he came out, but NBA rules prohibit that, and James said he wants to return to high school for his senior season.

Heat players are raving about point guard Rod Strickland, whose 34 points and 25 assists spearheaded Miami to a two-game weekend sweep of Washington.

''As Rod goes, we go,'' forward LaPhonso Ellis said. ``He sets the tempo from the start.''

On Nov. 30, Strickland was shooting 30.6 percent from the field. He has shot 46 since to raise his percentage to 44.2.

''At the beginning of the season, he was shooting 32 percent from medium range,'' coach Pat Riley said. ``Now Rod's making over 50 percent of his medium-range jumpers, so if they start doubling off him he's going to take it to the rim. He's still very quick. He gets by people.''

The Heat is 7-1 when Strickland has at least eight assists. He's averaging 9.8 points, 6.1 assists and 2.2 turnovers.

''He's a big part of the turnaround,'' forward Brian Grant said. ``He has helped bring the guys a lot closer a lot faster.''

? Because of the Heat's veteran starting lineup and the effects of Alonzo Mourning's kidney disease on his stamina, there was some concern about how Miami would play on the second night of consecutive games.

But after losing its first five games on the back end of back-to-back sets, the Heat has won six straight on the second night to improve to 7-6. Miami has nine more sets of back-to-back games.

? The weekend sweep of Washington marked the second time in franchise history (in seven chances) Miami has beaten the same opponent on consecutive nights.

? Point guard Anthony Carter made a $100,000 donation for a University of Hawaii scholarship fund for its men's basketball program. Carter attended Hawaii.

Having lost his spot in the rotation several weeks ago, power forward/center Chris Gatling admits this is the most difficult season of his 11-year NBA career.

But Gatling, 34, said Sunday that while he's surprised he's not playing much, he's determined not to make an issue of it.

''In some instances, I'm surprised, and I think a lot of people are,'' said Gatling, who has played a total of 26 minutes in February. ``This is my toughest year professionally, by far, the first time I've gone through this.

``It messes with you a little bit mentally. I have to be a professional about it and keep working on my game. A lot of people wouldn't take this situation like this. They would always be in Coach's office talking to him. I don't need to talk to him about anything. I need to prove it on the court.

``When I get in a game, if I ever do, I have to be ready. This time of the season, you don't need any negativity.''

Gatling was out of shape when he joined the Heat five days before the regular-season opener. He lost 30 pounds, but even that hasn't been enough to earn coach Pat Riley's trust. Gatling lost his spot in the rotation to Vladimir Stepania in mid-January.

Gatling is averaging 5.9 points -- down from 11.4 for Cleveland last season -- and shooting a career-low 42.7 percent.

In addition to a five-game early-season stint on the injured list to work on his conditioning, Gatling has been held out of 15 games this season, including 10 of the past 16.

''I know I'm a good player in this league,'' he said. ``I just have to wait my turn. If Coach sticks with this rotation, so be it. My confidence is so high, because I'm a scorer.''

Gatling signed a three-year, $8.5 million contract, but only this season is guaranteed.

''Hopefully, if I stay around and learn the system a lot better, I can start out from scratch and be in training camp,'' he said. ``I'm not worried about [being retained]. I'm worried about getting to the playoffs.''

? Riley said he's ''concerned'' about Alonzo Mourning's back spasms, which bothered him Saturday. ''It has been very tight,'' Riley said. Mourning said he's fine.

? Tim Hardaway, who lashed out at Riley when the Heat didn't re-sign him last summer, expressed disappointment in Mavericks coach Don Nelson for Thursday's trade that sent him, Juwan Howard, Donnell Harvey and a No. 1 pick to Denver for Raef LaFrentz, Nick Van Exel, Avery Johnson and Tariq Abdul-Wahad.

''[Nelson] turned his back on me and traded me,'' Hardaway told The Dallas Morning News. ``A lot of people don't like the trade. Nellie's got to deal with that.''

The sellout crowd at AmericanAirlines Arena witnessed history from Michael Jordan on Sunday, but not the type it came to see.

Held to single-digit scoring (nine points) for only the second time in his past 893 games, Jordan left for good with a sore right knee midway through the fourth quarter. The Heat took over from there, outscoring Washington 14-6 to win 92-80 and complete a weekend sweep of the Wizards.

Miami outscored the Wizards 27-13 in the fourth quarter and ended the game on a 20-6 run.

''This was a huge weekend for us,'' Heat coach Pat Riley said. ``Saturday and tonight are probably two of the best fourth quarters we've had all year.''

A night after scoring 37 against the Heat, Jordan shot 4 for 13 and committed six turnovers in 30 minutes. He topped his career low of six points, set against Indiana earlier this season.

Jordan, 39, had his knee drained before the game and said there's a ''very strong possibility'' he would go on the injured list, which would require sitting out at least five games.

''He said he just couldn't go anymore,'' Wizards coach Doug Collins said. ``I did not want him to play, but he wanted to, and his knee just got sore.''

Right before Jordan left, the Heat scored six straight to take its first lead. Jim Jackson's layup put Miami ahead for good, 76-74, with eight minutes left. Jackson followed that with a jumper, and then Jordan departed with 6:27 to go.

''You could tell from the moves he was making that his knee was bothering him,'' said Jackson, who scored eight of his 10 points in the fourth. ``He can beat you with one knee.''

But not on this night, especially when Richard Hamilton -- who came in averaging 19.6 points -- mustered just eight points on 4-for-15 shooting.

''With Jordan not there, they just overpowered us,'' Collins said. ``The Heat got us shellshocked. They're a big, strong, powerful team. They bump you, grab you. You come off screens, and they knock you around. It's the way Pat Riley coached in New York. He knows if they foul 75 times, the referee is only going to call 30 of them.''

The Heat got terrific work from Rod Strickland, who posted his second consecutive double-double (16 points, 11 assists) after registering just one over the first 52 games. Eddie Jones added 15, and Brian Grant chipped in 14.

''Our fourth-quarter effort was the best I've seen all year,'' said LaPhonso Ellis, who had five points and three boards in the fourth.

Jordan missed the rim on his first shot, a jumper over Grant, and opened 0 for 4 before sinking a jumper with 3:18 left in the first quarter. In the fourth quarter, he missed his only field goal and one free throw (on a technical) and committed an offensive foul.

''He is not indestructible,'' Riley said. ``He has been absolutely remarkable in the fact he has played all season and missed only [two] games.''

But the Wizards stayed ahead most of the night largely because of Tyronn Lue and Christian Laettner. Lue scored 21, including nine of the Wizards' 13 fourth-quarter points, and abused Anthony Carter off the dribble and with his jumper.

Laettner had 15 points and five steals but shot 0 for 3 in the fourth, a quarter in which the Wizards shot 6 for 18.

'At halftime [with the Heat down 51-46], I got with the guys in the huddle and said, `We have to bring it. There's no excuse for them to outwork us,' '' center Alonzo Mourning said.

Mourning (11 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks) shot 4 for 11 but hit two key hook shots to stretch the Heat's lead to 10 with 1:53 left.

Strickland has played brilliantly the past two games (34 points, 25 assists). ''Rod has been absolutely vintage,'' Riley said. ``He has shown as well as anyone in the league the last month [among] point guards.''

The Heat (23-31) closed within 3 ? games of Washington, Charlotte and Indiana, who are eighth, ninth and 10th in the conference at 27-28. Miami is four games behind Philadelphia and Toronto, who are tied for sixth and seventh.

''I think we need to win two out of every three to be realistic,'' Riley said. ``It's the closest we've been since the beginning of the season.''

? Wizards starting power forward Popeye Jones missed the game with a sore right elbow. . . . Eddie Jones set a career mark by hitting a three-pointer in his 25th straight game. . . . In his second game back from sports hernia surgery, Carter shot 0 for 4, including two air balls, with two turnovers, and drew boos from the crowd.

Has the Michael Jordan train de-railed after positioning the Wizards so close to a playoff berth?  Maybe, maybe not, but one thing is for certain Michael Jordan will be sitting out the next few games.

Jordan had his knee drained for the third team this season before the Wizards took on the Miami Heat for the second time in as many days, this time in Miami.  But during the fourth quarter Jordan the mind was forced to give in to Jordan the body, sitting our the remaining six minutes, 27 seconds of the game while his Wizards squandered a lead to lose their fifth straight game.

But what was first thought to be tendinitis - which Jordan has battled all year on his right knee - turned to be more serious when Miami's doctor diagnosed that the knee could now be stricken with arthritis, which as John Mitchell of the Washington Times states is at this stage is far worse than the tendinitis Jordan has thus far endured.

"I was told that it's more of an arthritic condition," Collins said after the Wizards could muster just 13 points in the fourth quarter. "It happens more now because of all the activity that he's doing. Michael is out there trying to compete on one leg."

The injury could see Jordan land on the Injured Reserve, something that Jordan has been immune to for much of his career.  But in typical Jordan fashion he has not ruled himself out of appearing in the lineup to tackle the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday.

"That could be a very strong possibility," was Jordan's response to possibly being placed on the injured list. "We'll see how I feel the next couple days to see how I feel and make my decision from that. So I probably will have to sit out a couple of games judging by the way I feel now."

"It really gives me an indication that I need to sit it out and rest it and let it really heal," said Jordan. "If I don't play, I'm going to try to still go through practice on Tuesday and then try to play on Wednesday."

But perhaps a more pressing issue for the Washington Wizards is now what happens to Jordan playing on next season?  Expressing that he would like to continue playing next year, Jordan is contracted for another season beyond this one, MJ didn't sound to optimistic.

"I'm getting old," said Jordan. "It's a sign obviously that things are coming to a closure. There was a time when back-to-backs were easy to bounce back from. I don't want to ignore it too much. My competitive nature is to go against the grain. Tonight my body won. I have to be very cautious and understand what my body is saying."

"I think there are some things that need to be talked about with doctors in terms of what I need to be doing in the offseason. But it's so far in advance for me to be thinking about that right now. I just want to focus on the moment and when the season ends that's when I think about things."

Jordan finished the game with nine points on 4-for-13 shooting in 30 minutes, failing to score in double-digits for the second time this season.  Running partner Richard Hamilton also faltered, scoring only eight points on 4-for-15 shooting.

"I thought the first three quarters, I was able to disguise it a little bit," said Jordan. "No one really noticed the way I was limping and pulling that leg. I felt a little bit like [former Chicago Bulls teammate] Ron Harper. Then, when they started to notice it in the fourth quarter, I became a target. That's when I'm not really helping the team, whenever they start to come at me and I become a vulnerable player. I told [Washington coach] Doug [Collins] that I couldn't make it and to do whatever we could to find someone to step in."

The closing of a close game is usually referred to as "Jordan Time".  But last night in Washington the closing of the Wizards-Heat game could be referred to as 'Grant Time', or maybe even 'Jackson Time', the duo playing major roles in the Heat's 97-95 victory.

It was Brian Grant who hit a 16 foot baseline jumper with 1.6 seconds left in the game to give the Heat a two point lead, setting the scene for more Jordan heroics with the Wizards holding one last shot at a tie or a win.  The Wizards could not inbound the ball to Jordan, who had tied the game with a nice move just before Grant's shot, dropping the shot clock down to 0.7 seconds left in the game.

The Heat then did a terrific job of denying MJ the ball, leaving Popeye Jones the only option of Richard Hamilton who's shot was blocked in epic fashion by Jim Jackson.

"Both coaches are very smart, and execution was a premium," Jordan said. "They just had a little more time to work their play we did."

The Heat surprised no one by not making a trade Thursday in the hours leading up to the NBA deadline, ending some tense moments for several players unsure of their immediate futures.

And on a day when many teams considered giving up draft picks in potential trades, Heat coach Pat Riley said he wanted to preserve this summer's first-round pick and those over the next few seasons.

This comes from a coach who had only two first-round picks in six Heat drafts.

''I haven't heard anything major, but there are a number of players that are in the middle that are available for picks and stuff like that,'' Riley said prior to the 6 p.m. deadline.

``It depends on whether or not you want to take on some money. Some of them that are in play are actually good deals.''

A handful of players today have new addresses, though.

Among them is former Heat point guard Tim Hardaway, traded from Dallas to Denver with Juwan Howard and former Florida Gator Donnell Harvey in exchange for Raef LaFrentz, Nick Van Exel, Avery Johnson and Tariq Abdul-Wahad.

The deal essentially makes Hardaway, who spent the past 5 ? seasons with the Heat, the Nuggets' starting point guard after playing in a reserve role with Dallas.

Van Exel finally got the ticket out of Denver he sought after the Nuggets engaged in serious talks with several teams, including the Heat. Hardaway will be reunited with former Heat guard Voshon Lenard in Denver, two players who loathed each other during their days on some of Miami's best teams.

By and large, Thursday was a quiet day. Much of the inactivity can be attributed to teams' reluctance to add lucrative, long-term salaries to their payrolls.

Heat forward Brian Grant met those criteria, and was not dealt.

Also sitting on the bubble were forward Chris Gatling and guard Anthony Carter, two Heat players believed to have been available.

Riley's plans to hold onto draft picks goes against his history of often packaging them in trades. If the Heat misses the playoffs this season and winds up in the draft lottery, this summer's pick could be valuable.

The Heat has drafted only two first-rounders under Riley, Charles Smith and Tim James. Last summer's pick was sent to Cleveland in the three-way, sign-and-trade deal for Grant in the summer of 2000. In last year's draft, the 20th pick was Washington's Brendan Haywood, now the Wizards' backup center.

The Heat also could have acquired point guards Tony Parker of San Antonio or Jamaal Tinsley of Indiana, both starters chosen after No. 20 last year.

Riley intends to give himself some options in the draft this year.

''We would not surrender [the pick] unless we felt that it would have to go for a certain player,'' Riley said.

``We're going to keep that pick. We're going to keep it the next three years unless it has to do with securing a star.''

Because four of Riley's six Heat drafts have seen Miami's first pick come in the second round, his success has been somewhat average.

Of the eight picks, only four remain in the NBA -- Smith, Rodney Buford, Eddie House and Ernest Brown.

? Upset with his team's lackluster performance in Wednesday's 81-71 loss to the Clippers, Riley put the Heat through an extended film session, then questioned the production of his starters after an intense practice.

''Four of our five starters, over the last five games, efforts have plummeted,'' Riley said. ``Their effort and defense has plummeted . . . and we need to get more out of them. We could have won the game shooting 33 percent if we'd have done the things in the effort area that make the difference when you can't shoot the ball.''