Dwyane Wade Back to Being Dwyane Wade

[HeatNation]

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Dwyane Wade Back to Being Dwyane Wade

Miami Heat fans saw a familiar figure during the team’s 102-89 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday night at American Airlines Arena.

He moved with a familiar pace, raced past defenders with ease, exploded to the rim, and even went high to thrown down a two-handed jam off a lob pass from Ray Allen.

He wore No. 3, but the Dwyane Wade that was on display Saturday night looked much more like the Wade of years past, the top five player in the world Wade, the NBA Finals MVP Wade, than the Wade that had a times looked like a shell of his former self to start this season.

After being the pace-setter for the Miami franchise for the first seven years of his career, Wade has since given up that distinction to the younger, more talented LeBron James.

But it was Wade who was the best player on the court Saturday night, keeping the Heat afloat with 16 first half points, and helping spark a decisive rally with 12 third quarter points and three assists.

By game’s end, Wade had converted 14-of-20 shots for 34 points to go with seven assists and no turnovers for easily his best effort of the season.

It was Wade’s first 30-point game of the season, and perhaps just as importantly, it was only the second time he attempted 20 shots in a game this year, showing a confidence and assertiveness with the ball that had at times been lacking.



“I was just being aggressive,” Wade said after the game. “The lane was open at certain times and I took it. I just took my shots. I wasn’t worried. Sometimes you get into trying to take perfect shots, but tonight I just took the shots that I normally take and I was able to hit some and get a rhythm early. I just stayed aggressive the whole night.”

Wade had the full arsenal working Saturday, knocking down mid-range jumpers, penetrating into the lane, getting out in transition, and even making a rare three-pointer.

But it was the finishing in the paint that was perhaps the biggest difference for Wade, who went into the game shooting an abysmal 26 percent on shots between 3 and 9 feet out, a number that led many to the conclusion that the veteran guard was losing his athleticism in his 10th NBA season.


“I’ve been getting to the rim, but most of the shots I’ve been missing have been going to the basket,” Wade said. “I was just concentrating on finishing when I get in there. Everyone knows I’m an efficient player and I love to shoot a high percentage, so when I don’t shoot a high percentage and I’m getting to the basket and getting those shots, to me, I ‘m better than that.

“But I’ll figure it out. I always figure it out. That’s what I did tonight.”

It has been a long road back to good health for Wade after undergoing left knee surgery at the end of last season, a procedure which forced him to miss the London Olympics and limited his basketball activity for almost the entire off-season.

If Wade is now showing signs of progressing back towards 100 percent health, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said it’s a byproduct of his devotion to the process of regaining his prior form.

“He’s been putting in a tremendous amount of work behind the scenes,” he said. “He was at the gym four-and-a-half hours before the game (Saturday). He’s putting in extra work at shoot-around working on his game. He’s making the necessary adjustments. There was not a thought in our minds to panic.

“It’s a long season. It started off with some minor injuries and it takes some guys some time to get in the flow. But I’ve been around Dwyane for 10 years and you see how dedicated he is to do it for his brothers.”

However, the process of getting back into top form and full health is still ongoing for Wade, who cautioned that performances like Saturday night’s will not always be the norm.

“Some days I feel good, and some days I don’t. I’ve just got to push through it,” he said. “Coming off of surgery, my goal was to be better as the season goes on. It’s going to be some nights when I struggle and don’t have my explosion, but I keep working at it and get in the weight room and do the things I need to do.”

“I’ll be fine. Some nights will be like tonight and some not. I’ve got to try to be the best player I can be for my team.”

Despite some ugly outings early in the year, like the 2-of-10 effort against the Los Angeles Clippers and the 3-of-15 against the Memphis Grizzlies, Wade’s performance Saturday pushed his scoring average to 19.5 (second on the team) and his field goal percentage to .489.

Wade’s Player Efficiency Rating now sits at a very respectable 21.7, which puts him in the top 20 in the NBA.

Spoelstra said there’s every reason to expect his continued ascendancy towards the high level of play he’s come to expect from Wade, given the work ethic and mental toughness that he possesses.

“He’s a competitive guy. He’s very dedicated and he understands that some of those things were out of his control,” he said. “He’ll put in the time to get his body right. He’s been doing a lot of things to make sure he physically feels good.

“He’s a rhythm player, so the more he plays and the more he practices and the more he works on his game, the more the season goes on (the better he’ll play). He has a history of it. The more he gets into the season and the more rhythm and flow he gets into (the more comfortable he’ll be). With us, it wasn’t a panic.”

[wicked_j]

This is why I'm not really worried about Wade. He was off to a slow start, but in terms of scoring, if you watched him play you would realize he was missing a lot of easy shots around the rim. Once those start falling, it will be all good.

[krikor]

He is underrated alot this days

Lebron or wade would average 30 - 33 ppg on a team like lakers

Taking shots

[DWadeno3]

And the Heat board has become very good at flip-flopping.

[This IsMy House]

One good games and he's back!!! Lol

[DefenseWins]

One good games and he's back!!! Lol

I know.... seriously?

He had a good game and it was great to see, but come on.

Maybe saw a glimpse of what he's capable of. But back? He will never be back. His body and jumper doesn't seem to allow it. He can still turn it on every once and awhile when it counts, but other than that... nope that back. Good performance nonetheless. I've just accepted the fact the dude can't do some of the things AS OFTEN as he use to.

[narmerguy]

One good games and he's back!!! Lol

I know.... seriously?

He had a good game and it was great to see, but come on.

Maybe saw a glimpse of what he's capable of. But back? He will never be back. His body and jumper doesn't seem to allow it. He can still turn it on every once and awhile when it counts, but other than that... nope that back. Good performance nonetheless. I've just accepted the fact the dude can't do some of the things AS OFTEN as he use to.

Yeah I somewhat agree, but one thing he can give every night is effort. His explosiveness or lack thereof doesn't dictate his defensive/offensive effort.

[LBJ-ITALY]

Wade is Wade, he needs to be more concentrated in the defense!

[WiseOwlWins]

One good games and he's back!!! Lol

10 games in and people were saying he was done!!!! LOL

it goes both ways.

[Zasterror]

And the Heat board has become very good at flip-flopping.

+100

Wade is known to have bad starts to a season all the time. He won't be the player he used to be or put up 25/5/5 again but as long as he puts forth enough effort during games, he can easily eclipse last season numbers.

[This IsMy House]

One good games and he's back!!! Lol

10 games in and people were saying he was done!!!! LOL

it goes both ways.

Oh I completely agree, I think all of these reactions are hilarious. Almost as funny as the GB having an MVP thread right now hahaha.

[LeChosen1]

Wade was back because he got to control the ball, He could do that everynight if he a Bron switched roles, but doing that seems to affect Bosh more so than not

[Nitro1118]

He never went anywhere...he's coming off off-season surgery and that foot injury, his usage is way down due to an improved supporting cast, and his effort hasn't been there much of this season. He's still one of the best players in the league, and as the season progresses he will improve in all aspects. We won't get the 04-10 Wade again, and his consistency may not be what it used to be, but you'll still get runs like his '11 post-season and the last few games of the Indiana series last year.

[DWadeno3]

People need to stop trying to predict the future. We're not even in 20 games in and we've gone from "Wade is back to his old self" to "Wade is not an all-star anymore" all the way back to "Wade is Wade again". He had a poor start to the season, it's not the first time he's had one of those. The important part is he seems to be coming around and working his way into shape while we have the best record in the league. As long as I see process and him improving as the season goes on, I'm comfortable, fully knowing his best months are always towards the end of the season and that's when we need him the most anyways.

[Chosen01]

Honestly the overreactions on this board and others get ridiculous. How exactly can someone decipher if someone is done judging off of only a handful games played and barely a quarter through the season?

Anyone who knows and has watched Wade already knows he's a rhythm player and always starts slow. Virtually every year that he was healthy, he exploded in the 2nd half of the season and playoffs.

Even when Wade was 26, coming off a shoulder injury people were saying he was done and would never be the same. This dude is always doubted. I wouldn't necessarily say he's "back" just because of one game because I don't flip flop. But put this guy on 25-27 other teams in the league and he's the team's first option and back to his 27 5 and 7 self. Understand that this guy has the best player in the league, another top 15 scorer and best shooter in the league on his team.