Miami ? He doesn’t shout “hibachi” anymore.

Gilbert Arenas used to do that when his shot was in the air, he knew it was good and he was on a roll.

But since Kobe Bryant questioned Arenas’ shot selection after Arenas dropped 60 points on the Lakers, Arenas has changed his signature cry. He now screams “quality shot.”

This season, every shot must feel like a good one to Arenas, an eccentric guard out of Arizona who was selected in the second round of the 2001 draft, but arguably has been the best player from that class.

After a slow start to the season, Arenas has erupted for the most impressive scoring streak of the season and has thrust himself into the conversation for Most Valuable Player.

In a span of five days this month, Arenas scored 60 against the Lakers in overtime and then put up 54 against the Suns, both games coming on the road and both Washington victories. In the past 30 seasons, only Arenas, Michael Jordan and Bryant have had games of 60 and 50 points in the same week.

Arenas’ scoring exploits have resulted in him joining the Nuggets’ Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson as players averaging 30 points this season.

Arenas’ buckets have translated into victories, and Washington has vaulted itself into first place in the Southeast Division with a 12-3 stretch that began against Atlanta on Nov. 28. Included in that run were victories over the Nuggets, Mavericks (who had won 12 consecutive games) and Suns (who had won 15 in a row).

In December, behind Arenas, the Wizards, the highest-scoring team in the Eastern Conference, averaged better than 116 points and shot 48 percent from the field.

Washington's Gilbert Arenas, left, drives past Orlando's Keyon Dooling.

It didn’t start this well for Arenas or the Wizards. Like a lot of other Eastern Conference teams in search of their identities, the Wizards started 4-9, and Arenas hardly was his usual self.

His struggles began with a 2-of-12 shooting game on opening night against the Cavaliers, who also were his last opponent in the 2006 playoffs.

Arenas’ start also included an inexplicable three-point night with 1-of-12 shooting at Memphis.

Arenas blamed a long, frustrating summer – which included being left off the final roster of the U.S. team at the world championships – for his rough start. Arenas, who has made a career of proving people wrong, wanted to show he was in the class of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Anthony and other players who represented the U.S.

But apparently, all the work drained Arenas.

“I was in the gym too much,” Arenas told The Washington Post. “The trainer would say, ‘Gil, you’ve already had a long summer. Get out of here.’ And I would sleep right outside the practice gym. The way I am, I would judge myself based on my performance with Team USA. So I felt I wasn’t good enough. I was questioning myself. You know, stuff starts running through your head.

“I was feeling, ‘I’m not even playing. I’m sitting and the guys out there aren’t even Kobe and Tracy McGrady. There’s no Tim Duncan or Kevin Garnett out there.”