The Wizards’ finish already has Crawford focused on something bigger next season, when the team will have the benefit of another high lottery pick, possible upgrades in free agency, offseason workouts and a full training camp.

“We want to be fighting for a playoff position. That’s the goal,” said Crawford, whose initial comments were rooted in the progress the team had made following a trade deadline deal that yielded a talented, veteran big man in Nene, but also a change in attitude and professionalism from a young team.

The Wizards (20-46) didn’t win many games immediately after the trade, but they were more competitive, played better defense and had given away a handful of games in which they built double-digit leads. The early bumps helped them win eight of their final 10 games, a run of success that the Wizards believe wasn’t a fluke.

“It’s real,” said Roger Mason Jr., who was waived after having season-ending surgery on his left index finger to make a roster spot in the final week but has expressed a desire to return as a free agent. “I genuinely believe if we had the same team the last month of the season, we’d be fighting for a playoff spot.”

Nene’s arrival at the trade deadline, along with signing James Singleton to a 10-day contract earlier this month, brought a veteran presence to the front line and they helped Kevin Seraphin and Jan Vesely become solid contributors. Nene has received a bulk of the credit, and with good reason, because the team was markedly different after the trade, and especially with him in the lineup.

“I felt like he held everyone accountable,” rookie Chris Singelton of Nene. “Our team hasn’t always been the most mature team. Since we got him and we got James and a couple of veterans they brought in, it’s definitely helped us.”

In the 41 games before the trade, the Wizards were 9-32 and getting outscored by an average of 8.5 per game (102.3-93.8). In the final 25 games, the Wizards went 11-14 and outscored their opponents by an average of 1.4 points per game (93.4-92.0). In the 11 games that Nene actually played, the Wizards were 7-4 and outscored their opponents by an average of 10.3 points per game (95.8-85.5).

“When I came here, a lot of things changed. I’m very excited about next season. Good things will come,” Nene said. “We can surprise a lot of things in this league next season. I know that’s the reason I’m here.”

John Wall is disappointed that he hasn’t been able to help the Wizards reach the playoffs in his first two years, but he is encouraged by the late-season rally, believing that the team is a few more veterans away — either at small forward, shooting guard or point guard — from contending for the postseason.

By Ira Winderman

South Florida Sun Sentinel

8:08 p.m. EDT, April 26, 2012

WASHINGTON—

    A look at the starting lineups, inactive lists and referees for Thursday night’s 8 p.m. game between the Miami Heat and Washington Wizards at the Verizon Center (Sun Sports):

Starting lineups

MIAMI HEAT (46-19)

Center: Eddy Curry

Power forward: Udonis Haslem

Small forward: Shane Battier

Shooting guard: Mike Miller

Point guard: Mario Chalmers

  Inactive: Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade.

WASHINGTON WIZARDS (18-46)

Center: Kevin Seraphin

Power forward: Jan Vesely

Small forward: Chris Singleton

Shooting guard: Cartier Martin

Point guard: John Wall

  Inactive: Andray Blatche, Rashard Lewis.

Referees: Jason Phillips, Brian Forte, Josh Tiven.

Pregame note of note: The Wizards are seeking to win the season series from the Heat for the first time since going 4-0 against the Heat in 2007-08. The teams enter tied 1-1 this season. This is the first time the teams have played fewer than four games in a season series since they also played three times in the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season.

After the game, the locker room was filled with jokes, laughter and fashion advice, as John Wall chided rookie Shelvin Mack: “What kind of jeans you wearing, Wrangler? You got those Brett Favres on.” Wall later claimed that he would continue to give Mack a hard time for his clothing choices on Twitter.

“It’s just the fact that you’re winning. It feels good to win,” Wall said after finishing with game-highs of 21 points and 13 assists to go with seven rebounds and seven steals. “You can tell, the whole group is having more fun.”

Wall certainly had fun during an electrifying third quarter that turned the game around. With the Cavaliers’ Kyrie Irving, the favorite for NBA rookie of the year, limited to less than 10 minutes — all in the first quarter — as he battled the stomach flu, Wall took advantage at the start of the second half, with one of the more dominant 12-minute performances of his young career.

Wall had made all five of his shots, scored 12 points, handed out six assists, recorded four steals and grabbed three rebounds in the period. He also accounted for 24 of the team’s 28 points in the quarter, helping the Wizards extend a four-point lead to 14 entering the final period.

“When he gets going up and down the floor like that, we’re very effective,” Coach Randy Wittman said. “He’s been this solid throughout the winning streak.”

Wall carved into the lane for easy layups, found his big men cutting to the basket for easy scores and took off on a full-court sprint that ended left-handed flush. He also was disruptive on the defensive end, chasing down loose balls and altering shots.

“I wanted to be more aggressive on the defensive end, and do everything — rebound, pass the ball and we got stops and we got rebounds,” Wall said.

Kevin Seraphin and Nene each scored 12 points, Chris Singleton and James Singleton had 10 apiece and Jan Vesely grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds as the Wizards finished the season with nine road wins — three times as many as in Wall’s rookie season.

They hadn’t won five games in a row since Nov. 11-21, 2007 — when Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler and Gilbert Arenas led the team to its last postseason appearance. Washington is heading for the lottery for the fourth consecutive season, but it is gathering more buoyancy with each game played.

“Everybody is comfortable, confident in themselves,” said Jordan Crawford.

The winning ways weren’t even interrupted by the absence of Crawford — the team’s leading scorer since the all-star break — who was forced to end his season because of a sprained right ankle that wouldn’t heal.

The streak began after the Wizards suffered an embarrassing home loss to Cleveland in which Development League call-up Luke Harangody led a ragtag bunch to victory. Since then, the Wizards have become the only team to win in Chicago and Miami, dashed Milwaukee’s playoff hopes and helped the Charlotte Bobcats continue a slide toward possibly the worst winning percentage in franchise history.

They will finish the season at home Thursday against Miami, which will likely rest its star players – LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade – as it did last Saturday against Washington. Wittman scoffed at the suggestion that the success was somehow diminished since a few of the opponents were without their best players.

“We don’t have Booker. We don’t have Crawford,” Wittman said. “We got Nene who’s not anywhere where he wants to be conditioning-wise missing all the games he has. I mean, that’s the NBA. I just think it’s a positive thing for our guys to continue to play at a high level, no matter what the opposition is doing.”

Before the game, Crawford said the Wizards “owe Cleveland,” but it took them some time before they could truly put away the Cavaliers. Cleveland got the score to 87-77 when Manny Harris made a layup, but Wittman put Wall back into the game with 5 minutes 31 seconds remaining and he quickly restored order.

Wall drove inside, got fouled and made two free throws. Wall later stole the ball from Harris, batted it ahead and thought about going up for a dunk before Cavaliers reserve Omri Casspi closed in on him. He scooped up the ball, delivered a behind-the-back pass to a trailing Vesely for a dunk. Vesely was fouled and made the free throw to push the Wizards ahead by 17 and Wall flashed a grin.

“We’re not disrespecting no teams,” he said. “We’re going out there and playing the best that we can play and respect those teams and coming out with wins. We got what we need at every position and everybody is playing hard.”

While the season is nearly over and the Washington Wizards will again miss the playoffs, they are playing at their highest level in years.

The Wizards believe that’s a good sign for their future, and they’ll go for a fifth straight win Wednesday night when they visit a Cleveland Cavaliers team that’s likely to be without rookie star Kyrie Irving.

Washington has the second-worst record in the NBA behind Charlotte but has surprised a few playoff teams in the past two weeks.

The Wizards (18-46) have won four straight and six of eight. Three of those victories came against postseason-bound opponents – at home over Orlando and on the road against Chicago and Miami.

“In the middle of the season, we were still playing different ways and being selfish,” point guard John Wall said. “We cleared things up, got some different guys here. Now, we’re playing as a team and we’re playing the best we played all season.”

After stunning the Heat on Saturday, Washington cruised to a 101-73 victory over the Bobcats on Monday as Nene scored 18 points and Wall added 16 with 14 assists.

The Wizards’ winning streak is their longest since the 2007-08 season, the last time they made the playoffs.

“If we add a couple of pieces, we know what we have on this team and what we can do when we play together,” said Wall, who has recorded three consecutive double-doubles for the first time this season.

One person who will help Washington build around Wall is team president Ernie Grunfeld, who agreed to a new contract Monday.

Team owner Ted Leonsis said in a statement that “Ernie has led the charge to rebuild and change the direction of the Wizards.” Grunfeld says he’s “excited about the direction that we’re headed.”

Cleveland (21-43) is also building around its young point guard, but Irving missed the morning shootaround Wednesday and is doubtful due to gastroenteritis. He is coming off a 25-point performance in a 109-101 loss to Memphis on Monday.

That was the Cavaliers’ fifth loss in six games and 17th in 21. Cleveland was outscored 32-23 in the fourth quarter, during which Irving didn’t score, and he and fellow rookie Tristan Thompson combined to go 1 of 6 at the free-throw line over the final 2:17.

“He’s kind of upset that he missed them, but I think it’s good for him to go through that type of experience,” coach Byron Scott said of Thompson. “It will help him in the long run. … Sometimes failing is good and I think he will be even better for it.”

Despite the defeat, it was an improvement as the Cavaliers’ previous five losses were by an average of 21.2 points.

“I’m very satisfied with how hard we’re playing and especially how well we played tonight,” Scott said.

Cleveland and Washington have split two meetings this season. Both were in the nation’s capital, the most recent a 98-89 Cavaliers victory April 14.

The Miami Heat bounced right back from their embarrassing loss to the Washington Wizards, defeating the Houston Rockets 97-88 on April 21. Unfortunately for the Heat, their win didn’t mean much, as their loss to the Wizards diminished all hopes of securing the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

LeBron James suited up on Sunday, but the Rockets held their ground against the Heat, taking a five point lead into the fourth quarter. LeBron wasn’t about to close out the season at the American Airlines Arena with a loss though, taking over the game in the final quarter. When it was all said and done, Heat fans showed their appreciation for “The King,” chanting “M-V-P!” as the Heat superstar headed back to the locker-room.

“It was a good team win, a lot of guys stepped up,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters after the game. “It was good to have LeBron back, but a lot of guys contributed. … I think LeBron is having a historic season”

With the win, the Heat finish the 2011/12 NBA season tied with the San Antonio Spurs for the best home-record in the league.

Dwyane Wade, Mario Chalmers, and Chris Bosh were a little too banged up to suit up against the Rockets, but LeBron and a handful of role players stepped up in their absence. LeBron shot the ball well against the Rockets, converting on 11 of his 21 field goal attempts. He finished with 32 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists.

Rookie Norris Cole broke out of his funk against the Rockets, finishing with 16 points, and 4 rebounds. The Heat also got some much needed help from Mike Miller and Joel Anthony, who finished with 11 points and 6 rebounds apiece.

Given how much the Heat‘s role players have struggled since the All-Star break, it’s certainly nice to see them playing solid basketball. If they keep it up in the postseason, they’ll be a serious force to be reckoned with.

Miami‘s next game will be against the Boston Celtics on April 24.

David is a Miami Heat fan that has followed the team for 16 years. Follow him on twitter @davidkingwriter and check out his blog.

Sources:

Associated Press, “LeBron James tallies 32 as Dwyane Wade-less Heat pull…”

Player and game information from ESPN.com and MiamiHeat.com

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Washington Wizards Derail Miami Heat

“That is what good teams do, like San Antonio,” Nene said. “Everybody’s together, they have a good atmosphere. Good teams, they stick together.”

Nene has been limited to eight games since being acquired from Denver at the trade deadline, but he was determined to come back from plantar fasciitis in his left foot before the season ended to have moments like Saturday night, when he and John Wall offered a possible glimpse of what’s in store for next season.

Wall assisted on the final nine baskets against the Heat, including four dishes to Nene, who scored each time. Nene also provided a stabilizing presence on both ends, as he recorded a blocked shot on a Mike Miller layup in the final minute.

“The more they play, the better,” Coach Randy Wittman said of Wall and Nene. “They’ll get a feel for each other. I think it’s a really good combination.”

The Wizards (17-46) are 4-4 with Nene in the lineup, including the past two games, and they have won five of their past seven games overall, with victories over playoff-bound Chicago, Miami and Orlando. They also crushed Milwaukee’s playoff hopes last week.

“Everybody is just clicking right now,” Jordan Crawford said. “Everybody is lifting each other up and getting victories out of it. I think we just playing good at this time. We got Nene back. We picked up a lot of great players that complement us well. I think for the first time, you’re really getting to see how good we can be.”

When Crawford mentioned three weeks ago, following a loss to Milwaukee, that he wanted the Wizards to finish with 20 victories, it seemed as if it would be an extremely lofty goal. At the time, the Wizards had 12 wins and needed to win eight of their last 13 games — when it took the team 36 games to win its first eight.

But as the Wizards approach their final three games, Crawford’s target is well within reach. They will close the season at home on Monday against the league-worst Charlotte Bobcats, on the road against the lottery-bound Cleveland Cavaliers and in the home finale against a Miami team that will likely rest LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in preparation of its first-round playoff series.

Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra probably wishes he had sat the trio on Saturday, and not just James and Bosh, after Wade dislocated his left index finger less than three minutes into the Wizards’ 87-84 win. The victory established Washington as the only team in the NBA this season to have road wins over the Bulls and Heat, the two top seeds in the Eastern Conference, though they obviously benefited from not facing those team’s all-star talents in either contest.

After defeating the Chicago Bulls two days ago, the Miami Heat ran into some problems against the Washington Wizards, losing 86-84 on April 21. With the loss, the Heat will have to settle for the second seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Miami coach Erik Spoelstra decided to rest LeBron James and Chris Bosh against the Wizards, but the Heat received an unexpected surprise early in the first quarter, when Dwyane Wade dislocated his finger. With Wade out, the Heat’s role players were forced to carry the load against the Wizards.

Even in defeat, Spoelstra seemed pleased with the way the role players played, and he wasn’t too worried about their position in the conference standings.

“This was a great game for the rest of the guys,” Spoelstra told reporters after the game. “To be able to compete, the guys showed a lot of toughness, especially when we got down double digits, to find a different way and not have to rely on Dwyane and Chris and LeBron. There were some brilliant, tough plays on both ends.”

Mario Chalmers and Shane Battier led the Heat’s offense against the Wizards, finishing with 16 points apiece. Dexter Pittman and Norris Cole also played well for the Heat, finishing with 12 and 11 points respectively.

Even without the “big three,” the Heat maintained their defensive mindset, holding the Wizards to 41 percent shooting from the field. Given the problems the Heat have faced in the second half of the 2011/12 NBA season, it’s certainly nice to see that they’re capable of playing solid defense without their superstars.

However, I didn’t particularly like Spoelstra’s decision to keep LeBron on the bench, particularly when it was obvious Wade wasn’t going to return to the game. He’ll certainly get some flak for that, and I can only hope Spoelstra’s decision doesn’t come back to haunt them in the playoffs.

Miami’s next game will be against the Houston Rockets on April 22.

David is a Miami Heat fan that has followed the team for 16 years. Follow him on twitter @davidkingwriter and check out his blog.

Sources:

Associated Press, “Miami Heat Look for Another Win Against Wizards”

Player and game information from ESPN.com

More from the Yahoo! Contributor Network:

Boston Celtics Light Up the Miami Heat

Miami Heat Bounce Back Against Bobcats

Miami Heat Secure Division Title with Win Against Knicks

Miami Heat Cruise Past Toronto Raptors

Miami Heat’s Defense Stifles Bulls

By Ira Winderman

South Florida Sun Sentinel

6:46 p.m. EDT, April 21, 2012

MIAMI—

    A look at the starting lineups, inactive lists and referees for Saturday night’s 7:30 p.m. game between the Miami Heat and Washington Wizards at AmericanAirlines Arena (Sun Sports):

Starting lineups

HEAT (45-17)

Center: Dexter Pittman

Power forward: Udonis Haslem

Small forward: James Jones

Shooting guard: Dwyane Wade

Point guard: Mario Chalmers

  Inactive: Chris Bosh, Ronny Turiaf.

WASHINGTON WIZARDS (16-46)

Center: Kevin Seraphin

Power forward: Jan Vesely

Small forward: Chris Singleton

Shooting guard: Jordan Crawford

Point guard: John Wall

  Inactive: Andray Blatch, Rashard Lewis.

Referees: Dick Bavetta, Matt Boland, James Williams.

Pregame note of note: With his first and only 3-pointer Thursday against the Bulls, Mario Chalmers reached 100 for the season. It is the second time in his career he has made at least 100 3-pointers in a season (also 114 in 2008-09), making him the seventh player in franchise history with at least 100 3-pointers in multiple seasons. He joins Tim Hardaway (four times), Glen Rice (four times), Eddie Jones (three times), Voshon Lenard (twice), Dan Majerle (twice) and Jason Williams (twice) to reach 100 or more 3-pointers in two or more seasons with the Heat.

Updated Apr 15, 2012 10:37 PM ET

The Wizards said Sunday that Mason has an avulsion fracture in his left index finger.

Mason averaged 5.5 points and 1.3 rebounds this season.

The team also signed forward James Singleton for the remainder of the season. Singleton was signed to a 10-day contract on April 5. He has averaged 9.8 points and 7.7 rebounds in six games.

WASHINGTON — Washington Wizards guard Roger Mason will have surgery Monday on an injured finger and will miss the rest of the season.

The Wizards said Sunday that Mason has an avulsion fracture in his left index finger.

Mason averaged 5.5 points and 1.3 rebounds this season.

The team also signed forward James Singleton for the remainder of the season. Singleton was signed to a 10-day contract on April 5. He has averaged 9.8 points and 7.7 rebounds in six games.