Arenas emerges as the league's most clutch shooter

	Gilbert Arenas has three 50-point efforts in his last 15 games, including a 60-point barrage against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers. John W. McDonough/SI
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You have to wonder what Jerry Sloan was thinking. With the clock ticking toward zero in Monday's game between Washington and Utah, Agent Zero, also known as Gilbert Arenas, began making his move toward the basket.

The same Arenas who has scored 50 or more points in three of his last 15 games. The same Arenas who has made five game-winning shots in his career and this season has made 11 buckets with less than three seconds left in a quarter. The same Arenas who lives for these moments -- and Sloan let him have it, offering no help for the defenseless Deron Williams as Arenas calmly buried a tie-breaking three-pointer to dismiss a team from the nation's capital for the second time this month.

That Arenas has evolved into a dangerous scorer is not surprising given his rapid ascent from second-round pick to the NBA's elite. But this season he has added "lethal late-game weapon" to his résumé.

"Having a player like Gil," said Wizards coach Eddie Jordan, "makes a coach's job much easier."

Is there a more clutch shooter in the game today? Kobe Bryant still plays with ice in his veins, but to many his comments about Arenas' shot selection sounded a little like professional jealousy (and don't think Arenas didn't take notice). Dirk Nowitzki is a freak of nature, a 7-footer with range from just inside half-court. But Nowitzki is more of a stand-up shooter who is most effective in a two-man game down the stretch. Vince Carter, Steve Nash and Tracy McGrady are all clutch in their own right, but this season Arenas has elevated his perimeter game above their level.

Why? For starters, Arenas can find motivation in a faulty blender. We're talking about a guy who wears zero on his jersey because it reflects the amount of NBA minutes he was expected to play. This is a guy who collects various press clippings (he won't say which ones) and keeps them in a room in his house. Everything is a slight to Arenas.

Take his USA Basketball experience. Being selected for the U.S. roster was a dream come true for Arenas. He put a tremendous amount of pressure on himself to succeed, maybe even too much pressure. Last July, Arenas showed up for camp in Las Vegas a week early to get accustomed to the environment. The plan backfired when Arenas allowed the mental pressures of the tryout to penetrate his mind.

"When I was there, I tried to alter my game so that it would be the best fit for the team they had," he said. "I tried to be more of a point guard, then I tried to be more of a shooter. I just wasn't playing my game, and I think that was my biggest mistake."

It was a costly one. Arenas suffered a minor groin injury while the U.S. team was tuning up for the world championships. Sensing that he wasn't at his best, he approached USA Basketball director Jerry Colangelo. When Arenas told him he was hurt and didn't want to hold up a spot for anyone else, Colangelo told Arenas that "he was on the bubble anyway." (Ironically, one of the players Arenas was trying to clear room for, Bruce Bowen, was also sent home.)

"That was a shock," Arenas said. "I think my jaw literally dropped."

Though Arenas said he no longer harbors any resentment toward Team USA, it is difficult to believe that a man with an elephant's memory doesn't still use the slight to narrow his focus from time to time. Before the season, Arenas said he would try to score 50 against Phoenix and Portland, coached by Team USA assistants Mike D'Antoni and Nate McMillan, respectively. Though he later backed off those statements, the results speak for themselves: Arenas poured in 54 to beat the Suns last month. (If you are keeping score, his next game with Phoenix is Tuesday, and his first look at Portland is Feb. 11.)

What's more, Arenas' increased scoring is not coming at the expense of his teammates. Caron Butler (20.7 points per game) is having a career season -- a prospect that can be difficult when playing with an MVP candidate -- and Antawn Jamison is averaging 18.7 points.

"It shows Gil's maturity," said Jamison, who was also teammates with Arenas on the Warriors. "If he was struggling in Golden State, he would keep putting up shots because he was still trying to prove himself. Now he's more patient. He's getting more assists. There are some games he has six or seven assists when really he could have 13 or 14 if we made more shots."

Not to worry, Arenas is more than willing to keep doling out the shots. Just save him the last one.