>> It took them three tries, but the Mighty Wiz finally earned their first playoff win in 17 long years on Sunday with a 117-99 win against the visiting Chicago Bulls. For those counting at home, Gilbert Arenas was all of 6 years old at the time of the then-Bullets last playoff win.

The Big Three were The Big Three + One on Saturday, as reserve Etan Thomas shot 8 for 9 from the floor and chipped in 20 points, a far cry from his 7.1 point regular season average. Add in his 9 rebounds and it’s easy to see why the Wizards felt more comfortable at home. “He was the X-factor,” Chicago guard Ben Gordon said. “He really came in for them today and had an uncharacteristic game. Usually you see Arenas, Jamison or Hughes doing something, but he was very big.” The last time the Wizards franchise had four 20-point scorers in a playoff game was April 10, 1974.

No rest for the victors though. Game 4 is tonight at the MCI Center at 7:30 PM. Tune in to NBA TV to see if the Wizards can stay focused and even the series.

>> The Nats allowed three runs in the top of the ninth and let the NY Mets snatch victory from the jaws of defeat last night. The loss was especially costly for the Nats as they lost reliever Joey Eischen to a broken bone in his right forearm that will keep him out of action for 8 to 12 weeks. Eischen will have plenty of company on the IL; currently the Nats have five other pitchers doing time there.

That’s the bad news. The good news is that currently the Nats are putting plenty of butts in seats. Through 12 home games, the Nats are averaging 30,951 fans per game, a number that while slightly below the MLB average, is good enough for 13th out of the 30 major league teams. And all this without any discernable marketing push. Not too shabby, eh? Look for the Nats to start getting the word out about DC baseball very soon, their new “Let Yourself Go” campaign will soon be in full swing.