Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports: Veteran power forward Charles Oakley continues to count the days until he can leave Chicago as a free agent in the offseason.

"Right now I'm in Desert Storm, and right now I'm just hoping to get rescued,'' he said Thursday night before his Bulls faced the Heat at the United Center.

At 38, Oakley is old even by Heat standards, but he said he still holds Pat Riley in high esteem. He said he is surprised the criticism his former Knicks coach has endured this season from former Heat players.

We have a lot of crybabies in this league,'' he said. "They get their money early without proving anything.

Oakley said the Heat's struggles are not a reflection of diminished capacity by Riley.

"He just doesn't have the players, and his hands are tied,'' he said. "He's still one of the best coaches in the business.''

In Heat news, Traveling with the team, General Manager Randy Pfund said the Heat would not rush into using its $3.3 million trade exception to upgrade its struggling roster.

Not much has changed with Michael Jordan's game since the last time he played a regular-season game in Miami.

After a three-year layoff, Jordan, 38, still is averaging more than 25 points, still talking trash and challenging younger players. The difference is for the first time in his career, he probably will be watching the playoffs.

"I don't think it's any different than what it was than when he was here in Chicago," Heat coach Pat Riley said. "Everybody expected that he would take the majority of the shots and (Richard) Hamilton would play a factor in it. The Bulls had three guys that averaged in double figures and that was about it when he was here and everybody else played a supportive role. I think everybody figured he was going to carry the load and he is."

Jordan's traveling show comes to Miami tonight. The Wizards, despite their 4-10 record, are packing arenas. Jordan is the show, averaging 25.7 points and taking 147 more shots than anybody on the team.

Jordan leads the team in assists with 4.9 per game and is second in rebounding with 6.4, but his shooting percentage of .402 is down from his career average of .505, and he is not going to the free-throw line as much as in past years.

Like Riley, Bulls assistant coach Bill Cartwright, who played with Jordan in Chicago, is not surprised at Jordan's production.

When/where: 7:30 p.m., AmericanAirlines Arena.

Tickets: 300 remain (limited number of $5 balcony seats remain).

Broadcast: TV ?CBS 4(Broward, Miami-Dade), UPN (Palm Beach). Radio ? WIOD (610-AM), WACC (830-AM, Spanish).

About the Wizards: Michael Jordan is averaging 32.5 points per game over his career against the Heat. After failing to get to the foul line in Tuesday?s loss in Cleveland, the first time he went without a free throw in 152 games, Jordan shot 8 of 10 from the line on the way to 30 points in Wednesday's 94-87 victory in Philadelphia. Jordan has scored 30 or more 14 times. Nonetheless, Washington has lost 8 of 10. Guard Hubert Davis has been sizzling from the 3-point arc, 14 of 27 on 3-pointers over the past five games. Guard Bobby Simmons (knee) and swingman Tyrone Nesby (back) are on the injured list.

About the Heat: The Heat has won 11 in a row against the Wizards, sweeping the series each of the past three years. The Wizards have never won in the regular season at AmericanAirlines Arena. However, Washington defeated the Heat 99-79 in Miami in an Oct. 13 exhibition. Jordan scored all 18 of his points in the first quarter of that game. The Heat enters 0-3 on the second nights of back-to-back games. Forward Chris Gatling is still hurting after taking an elbow to the head from Boston?s Eric Williams in Tuesday?s home loss to Boston. Center Ernest Brown (thumb) and forwards Brian Grant (foot) and Kendall Gill (finger) are on the injured list. Forward Sam Mack (hip) remains sidelined.

Off the court: Season-ticket holders get the second item at half price when purchasing an item at the team store in the arena.

"This is an absolute mess," Pat Riley said last week of his Heat.

"I just think we stink," Michael Jordan said Tuesday night of his Washington Wizards.

"I think we'll win another game," Riley said Tuesday after losing his ninth straight game, the most in his coaching career.

"If my shot's not falling, it's going to be a long night for us," Jordan said last week amid an eight-game losing streak, the longest in his playing career.

"It's time to grow up, be professional basketball players, stop succumbing to the pressure," Riley was saying on the phone Thursday afternoon from Chicago before the Heat succumbed again, losing No. 10 in a row to the lowly Bulls. "This is not about pushing X's and O's around. It's about playing at the end.

"We've been there five times at the end in the nine [straight] losses and either choked or felt pressure or made a mistake. I'm going to keep leaning on them. I'm not going to allow them to wimp out on this and succumb to pressure. The pressure is more from the consequences.

"What's the consequence, that people think poorly of you, people boo you, the media writes bad about you? Who the hell cares? This is more of an individual thing of going out and keeping composed at the end."

Yes, it has gotten worse.

The Heat, a team that was in the playoffs seven months ago, is now tied for the worst record in the NBA after a 78-72 loss Thursday night to the Chicago Bulls in front of 17,003 at the United Center.

Chicago ended its losing streak at 10 games and extended Miami's skid to 10. The teams are both 2-12.

``Both teams played hard because they wanted to win,'' Heat coach Pat Riley said. ``But they made the three plays at the end of the game that counted. Night in and night out it's the same kind of mistakes.''

Ron Mercer provided the late spark for Chicago, scoring eight of his 19 points in the final 2:23. Greg Anthony added 11 points and six steals, and Charles Oakley grabbed 10 rebounds.

``[The Bulls] got what they wanted, and we never got what we wanted,'' said shooting guard Eddie Jones, who led the Heat with 15 points. ``We played terribly from start to finish.''

The glory days of the two franchises, which met in the Eastern Conference finals just four years ago, are clearly behind.

Michael Jordan's comeback tour rolls into Miami tonight, certainly with a sense of anticipation but without much of the mystery that surrounded his preseason visit in October.

A few things have become clear:

Jordan can still dominate, just not as consistently.
He has topped 40 points once (44 against Utah) and 30 points on seven occasions. His 25.7 scoring average is down from his 31.5 career mark, but still seventh in the NBA -- behind league leader Kobe Bryant (27.4).

Jordan, who won 10 scoring titles with Chicago, was in vintage form (30 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, 5 steals) in Wednesday's win at Philadelphia.

``He completely controlled the game,'' Sixers coach Larry Brown said. ``I'm amazed. I can't imagine anyone taking three years off of anything and playing like that.''

But there also have been a few clunkers -- 5 for 26 shooting against Seattle, 8 for 26 vs. Indiana and 9 for 24 Tuesday at Cleveland.

Mirror, mirror on the NBA wall, who is today's worst team of all?

Thanks to Ron Mercer's clutch scoring and rookie Trenton Hassell's adhesive defense, the Bulls' 78-72 victory Thursday night before 17,003 at the United Center suggests it's the Miami Heat, the team they beat to end their 10-game losing streak.

Both teams now have 2-12 records, tying them with the Memphis Grizzlies, who lost to the Toronto Raptors earlier in the evening. But now it's the Heat with the 10-game losing streak, not the Bulls.

''It's still too early to say which team is the worst because the Heat and Bulls have key injuries that keep you from seeing how good either team is,'' Bulls captain Charles Oakley said. ''It's nice to put an end to the 10-game losing streak. But one win doesn't make that much difference. We still have a lot of improvement to make.''

The game came down to a scoring duel between shooting guards Mercer of the Bulls and Eddie Jones of the Heat. Mercer scored 10 of his game-high 19 points in the fourth quarter, including the winning basket, an 18-foot jumper that broke a 72-72 tie with 1:42 to play.

Jones had to settle for 15 points on 6-of-15 shooting, and he was limited to two points on 1-of-3 shooting in the fourth quarter. While one might say Mercer simply outplayed Jones, Heat coach Pat Riley offered a different explanation.

''The kind of [defensive] attention that Eddie Jones got from them, we didn't give to Mercer,'' Riley said. ''We blew two defensive assignments going down the stretch. One was where [Mercer] should have been trapped on a pick-and-roll that Oakley set. And he should have been stunted on with three guys on the catch-and-shoot that got him into the lane for the four-point lead. Eddie sees three guys, and Mercer sees nothing.''

And today's magical number in Chicago is.... ten.  The Bulls ended their losing streak at ten tonight against Miami, who are now on a game losing streak of their own.  After scoring only six points against the Nets in their last game, Chicago was again lacking in the third against the Heat, overcoming a ten point third quarter to break clear at the end of the fourth.  

Ron Mercer was on fire in the fourth quarter, scoring ten points in the quarter including the last eight in the game.  

"Anytime I'm struggling and I make one bucket, in my mind I feel I'm hot," Mercer said. "That's basically all it took. After making one bucket, I felt that I wanted the ball and shots fell."

Alonzo Mourning fouled out with just under ten minutes to go in the final quarter.

Besides their business relationship and enduring friendship since his days at Georgetown, Heat center Alonzo Mourning and Vivian Pommier share a dubious bond of having come down with serious kidney disorders in the past 15 months.

Since contracting a virus earlier this month that severely weakened Mourning and in his own words set him back ?five steps? in his fight against focal glomerulosclerosis, he has been in no mood to discuss his health or his dwindling statistics.

However, Wednesday afternoon, Mourning, who was still upset over not making a defensive stop on Ricky Pierce?s game-winning layup in Boston?s 84-83 victory Tuesday night, explained how Pommier?s condition was also exacerbated after being afflicted with a virus.

?I?m not going to say yesterday?s game was my fault, but I do know I could remember making that defensive play in the past down the stretch and us winning the ballgame,? Mourning said. ?I don?t like using excuses but that virus set me back big time.

?She picked up a virus and her creatinine level shot up real high, and she had to go into the hospital,? he continued. ?She got dehydrated. She couldn?t keep anything down. We e-mailed each other on a regular basis. She checks up on me, and I check up on her.?

Suddenly, Mourning, who set Pommier up with his New York-based kidney specialist Dr. Gerald Appel, didn?t seemed as concerned with the Heat?s nine-game losing streak.

?She?s going to probably need a transplant in February. She won?t make it past February. She?ll be on dialysis pretty soon,? Mourning said.

With his team in the midst of a nine-game losing streak, a trip to face the Chicago Bulls could be just the tonic that Pat Riley and the Miami Heat need.

But with the way things have been going for the Heat lately, Riley appears to be taking nothing for granted.

"The last two games against Cleveland and Boston, we had a shot to win both games," Riley said. "Those were two very tough losses for a team team that's trying to get a win and get some confidence."

In Chicago, Riley sees a team much like his own -- one that is desperate for a win.

"Probably in Chicago might be the toughest game. They're hungry, they're at home."

The Bulls have just one win this season and have lost 10 straight. If Miami were to lose to Chicago, it would fall into a tie for the worst record in the NBA.

Center Alonzo Mourning said the Heat need to find a way to get things turned around. Miami's next three games are against teams that have losing records.