(Photo: Reuters/Mike Stone)
Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade pauses during a break in play against the Dallas Mavericks during Game 3 of the NBA Finals series in Dallas, Texas on June 5, 2011.
Christian Post Report – Dwyane Wade has turned the Miami Heat into dark-horse contenders in the NBA’s Eastern Conference.
As it stands, the Heat hold the seventh playoff spot in the East, holding a one-and-half-game advantage over eighth-placed Charlotte Hornets.
With only a handful of games left before the post-season begins, Wade seems to be turning up the notch and reviving his status as one of the best guards in the league.
Proof of it lies on seven straight games where he scored at least 25 points, starting off against the Los Angeles Lakers.
In that game, fans were treated to a vintage Wade slashing towards the basket. He attempted 12 free throws on the night, converting 11 of them as the Heat won 100-94.
He sat the next game out against the Washington Wizards but came back firing when they hosted the Sacramento Kings. That 114-109 overtime victory displayed that Wade can still move around the basket, shooting 56 percent from the field and scoring 28 points on the night.
Two days after, they went on and played the Boston Celtic,s who have won two of their last three prior to their clash at the American Airlines Arena. Again, Wade was unstoppable, going 13-of-23 from the field to finish with 34 points in 36 minutes in a losing effort.
Brooklyn were their next opponents and Wade clearly had to do more because of the absence of Hassan Whiteside. Wade’s shooting percentage dropped to 40 percent in this game but his 28 points propelled the team to a 104-98 victory.
They lost to the Toronto Raptors in the next game, but it was clear that Wade still had enough left in the tank after a 69 percent shooting night and going for 25 points in the 102-92 loss.
Then they would go on and welcome back LeBron James in Florida as they hosted the Cleveland Cavaliers. It was a marquee matchup and Wade did not back down. Facing one of the title favourites, Wade went on to shoot an amazing 72 percent from the field for 32 points to beat out James and the Cavs.
At this point, everyone was starting to realize the potential of the team.
And to silence any doubters, Miami beat the Portland Trail Blazers 108-104 behind another 32-point performance from Wade.
His streak ended in a blowout win over the Denver Nuggets, where Wade scored 22 points during only 31 minutes.
His performances would prove that they are going to be a handful against any of the top teams in the East.
Wade had to step up his game with the absence of fellow superstar Chris Bosh, and he has had to emerge as a leader with the arrivals of new players like Goran Dragic and the return of Michael Beasley.
For the year, Wade leads the team with 21.8 points per game, his highest since the 2011-2012 season. Furthermore, he’s been more productive this season despite playing the fewest minutes per game in his career, at 31.9 per night.
It is true that the has slowed down at 33 years old, but Wade is still able to tap into his fountain of youth when the team needs him the most.
Source : Christian Post