It was a situation with which Dwyane Wade had extremely familiarity. With the game tied and the Heat gaining possession of the ball for one final play, he proceeded to dribble to the frontcourt and organize the offense. Isolated against the Jazz鈥檚 Donovan Mitchell, he made his move with six ticks left on the clock, seeming to head to a screen set by Kelly Olynyk, only to move away with a deft crossover that gave him an open lane. There was one problem; Rudy Gobert, arguably the National Basketball Association鈥檚 premier rim protector, lay in wait. Still, he didn鈥檛 hesitate; confident he could again do what he did a minute and a half earlier, he drove straight to the rim.
As things turned out, Wade didn鈥檛 get another layup. In fact, he missed, with his twisting bank shot winding up short. What he did get, however, was a whistle; Gobert fouled him on a block attempt that looked clean in real time, but, as replay from a vantage point under the basket showed, drew contact off a downward swiping motion. Naturally, he made his charities to claim the win for the Heat, highlighting a vintage endgame performance that offset a sluggish start; he may have been an errant four of 15 from the field all told, but he proved outstanding with the outcome on the line, coming up with seven markers and three dimes in the payoff period.
Considering how the Heat have been far from competitive of late, it鈥檚 fair to say they needed the victory; Wade鈥檚 exertions couldn鈥檛 have come at a better time. They鈥檙e beset by injuries and bogged down by a glaring lack of consistency. And so anxious are they to turn their fortunes around that they鈥檙e willing to get an edge anywhere they can. For instance, they seem to have chucked the use of the highly regarded Miami Vice retro jersey because of their inability to win while donned in it. And, in the same context, it was but natural for them to turn to him in the crunch.
Certainly, Wade is in the process of winding down his career, with the current season likely his last. It isn鈥檛 simply that he鈥檚 past his prime. More crucially, it鈥檚 that his priorities have changed. For as long as he鈥檚 around, though, the Heat will keep turning to him. And, even as he鈥檚 pacing himself, he can be counted on to deliver.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since 大象传媒 introduced a Sports section in 1994.
