Michael Jordan showed tonight he was much better than he was in his first game back from a three-year retirement. He also showed he doesn't have to steal the show for the Washington Wizards to win.

Up by four points against the Atlanta Hawks with less than a minute left, Jordan drove the baseline for what appeared would be the game-icing shot. When the Atlanta defense came to him, he popped a pass out to point guard Chris Whitney. Open look, tight release, three-point swish. Game.

Jordan scored a game-high 31 points, but Washington's 98-88 victory tonight over the Hawks, before a sellout crowd of 20,072 at Philips Arena, came with a little help from his friends.