Michael Jordan intends to be like Mike for at least one more season. Jordan turns 40 next year. He knows the air under his wings doesn't lift him as high, but he said he can still be dominant in different ways.

"It's a different challenge for me," Jordan told reporters. "I've gotten to a point where I really understand the game of basketball, still do, but also I'm still learning. As long as I can continue to do that and challenge myself there's always going to be a place for me playing the game of basketball.

"My contract is two years. Obviously the way I feel and with all I have to deal with, all the different [health] problems, it's a different thought process at the end of the year."

Jordan turns 39 on Feb.17. He's been plagued by chronic tendinitis in his right knee. He had to have it drained of fluid twice. He also was bothered earlier in the season by tendinitis in his right wrist and other minor discomforts he could shake off much easier when he was younger.

A combination of age and ailments have taken away some of Jordan's springs, but he's averaging a team-high 24.4 points, which ranks him eighth in the NBA. Just two weeks ago he scored 51 and 45 points in consecutive games. He's helped breathe new life into players like Popeye Jones, Christian Laettner and Hubert Davis. He's guided Richard Hamilton and Brendan Haywood and inspired Chris Whitney and Tyronn Lue.

The fans have welcomed him back. Washington leads the NBA in attendance, selling out all 15 games at 20,674-seat MCI Center as well as every game it has played on the road. Jordan ranks fourth overall in fan balloting for the All-Star Game, which all but ensures him a spot in the midseason event, which will be Feb. 10 in Philadelphia.

"He's having fun on a different level," Wizards coach Doug Collins told reporters. "Winning championships was one level of fun and enjoyment. With this one I think his hopes are to play a couple years and leave his fingerprints on this team so when he goes back upstairs [the players] understand what it takes for them to keep it going. We don't want this to be a short-term fix where the minute Michael stops playing all of a sudden we go back and have a bad team again."

Jordan signed a two-year con- tract for $2.2 million when he an- nounced he was coming out of his second retirement last October to play for the Wizards. He signed for the NBA minimum for players with 10 years or more experience. Jordan donated this season's salary of $1 million to the relief efforts for the Sept. 11 terrorists attacks. Things are going well on the court, but Jordan recently was served with a divorce claim from his wife of 12 years, Juanita.

The Chicago Tribune broke the news of the divorce on Monday and both parties have declined to discuss the matter. In terms of playing and dealing with his pending divorce, Jordan said, "Obviously you've got issues you want to deal with when the time comes. What basketball has always been for me is a think tank. Get out, think about it and react accordingly once I step off the basketball court. It will continue to be that for me."

In this corner:

Shaquille O'Neal was suspended for three games and fined $15,000 for his big miss in Chicago. O'Neal tried to knock out Bulls center Brad Miller. The rematch is Feb. 6 in L.A.

"We'll play the same type of game in L.A. that we did here," the Bulls' Charles Oakley told reporters. Oakley, though, now has the maximum points on flagrants and will draw a suspension for every one now. Flagrant twos draw two games for him. "I can't worry about that," Oakley said. "I'm going to play hard. That's the only way I know how to play."

Miller told the media that O'Neal's punch attempt was a "coward thing."

Miller told reporters, "Shaq gives out more than he receives. When he hits you with an elbow, it's equivalent to four fouls on him. He goes for the face shots too. Everybody grabs him, but he just hits everybody.

More Oakley

"When people come in here, people are going to have to play," Oakley told reporters. "It ain't going to be no cakewalk. We might lose some games, but teams are going to leave here with some bumps and bruises. If they can't find a hospital to get healed, that ain't our problem."

Lakers guard Kobe Bryant told reporters that the Lakers will take care of the Bulls' butts in Los Angeles.

Oakley responded.

"Kobe can say whatever he wants, but we're going to show up," Oakley told the media. "I like Kobe. But if you're going to mouth off, we're going to mouth off too. We ain't running. Talk don't scare me. He comes in there, whatever happens, happens."

The day after his suspension and a day after Los Angeles Times reporter Bill Plaschke had written about O'Neal's ordeal, Shaq taped a piece of paper to his jersey on which it said: "In Hindu culture, the elephant is tall, regal, majestic, strong, powerful and enigmatic. A Hindu proverb states that when an elephant is down even a frog will kick him. Isn't that right, Plaschke?"

The day after that, O'Neal told writers: "I do not waste my time in answering abuse. I thrive under it, like a field that benefits from manure."

Three points:

Paul Pierce took 10 treys in last week's 101-100 win over the Knicks. He said the attempts had nothing to do with practicing for the All-Star weekend 3-point shootout for which he was selected.

"No," Pierce told the media, after attempting his fifth-highest total of the season (and hitting three), "I'm going to have to take time out on my own and get a ball rack and practice off the rack."

He's not sure it will help. "I told them I don't know how good I'm going to be because I'm not used to just shooting wide open shots," Pierce said.

"Maybe we can put a dummy defense out there during the competition. I was telling my teammates it's going to be tough on me because I'm used to shooting with a hand in my face. I don't know how I'm going to react to just standing there and shooting the ball."

Nets rule:

The Nets pounded the Wizards last week by 44 points. The win was particularly sweet for Kenyon Martin. Jordan burned the Nets for 45 points in a win over the Nets on Dec.31, and afterward he fingered Martin, saying that early in the game the Nets' young player had told him his back was feeling sore.

"Before tipoff, [Jordan] asked me how I felt," Martin told reporters. "I told him I feel great."

Leaving:

Seattle SuperSonics forward Rashard Lewis confirmed to the Tacoma News Tribune on Monday that he will opt out of his contract this summer and become an unrestricted free agent. Lewis also said that he wants the Sonics to pay him the maximum salary allowable, a contract starting at $10.6 million per season, or he is going to explore joining another team.

Lewis signed a three-year, $13 million contract with Seattle two summers ago, but has an escape clause that allows him to become a free agent this summer. Because he is getting a brand-new contract and not an extension, Lewis is seeking a deal worth around $102 million over seven seasons. Sonics majority owner Howard Schultz declined to be interviewed for this story.

Sonics CEO Wally Walker said the team wants to keep Lewis, but declined to comment in detail because Lewis has not yet opted out of his contract.