Mourning ready to lead Heat into NBA playoffs

By Adrian Sainz
Associated Press

MIAMI — All-Star center Alonzo Mourning returned yesterday to play with the Miami Heat, coming back from a kidney ailment that had sidelined him this season and once threatened his career.

Mourning was added to the lineup for the game against the visiting Toronto Raptors and hopes to help the Heat as they head toward the playoffs next month.

The two-time defensive Player of the Year entered the game with 3:43 to play in the first quarter and the Heat trailing 17-14. Mourning jumped off the bench, threw off his warmup jersey and sprinted to the scorer's table to replace Brian Grant, who left with two fouls.

The near-sellout crowd gave Mourning a long standing ovation. He responded immediately with a defensive stop, forcing Antonio Davis to turn the ball over on the ensuing possession.

Mourning got the ball on the other end but missed his first shot, which came on his trademark drive across the lane.

Mourning said his goal is to help the team win a championship. "Whatever it takes," he said. "My teammates have done a tremendous job."

Mourning's return bolsters the Heat's playoff chances. The team is 42-28 with 12 games left in the regular season and is in third place in the Atlantic Division, seven games behind Philadelphia.

The 31-year-old Mourning, a six-time All-Star, had been sidelined since being diagnosed in October with focal glomerulosclerosis, an illness that leads to kidney failure in about half the cases.