Kleeman's Last Word

Have the Heat Overcooked?

With the turn of one Dwyane Wade's shoulder, the defending champion Miami Heat may have just dislocated themselves from a playoff spot.
With a critical game in Dallas tonight now a facile victory for the Mavericks, does Miami have anything left to play for?
The Heat have suffered more injuries than there are people claiming to be the father of Anna Nicole Smith's baby and that's a ton. Jason Williams, Shaquille O' Neal, Dwyane Wade, Wayne Simien and now Dwyane Wade again. Will the injury madness ever end for this team?
Wade turned his shoulder after reaching in for the ball as Shane Battier tried throwing up a basket. It was merely incidental contact that bred ugly results. You could hear the Heat guard cry in pain as soon as he began grabbing his arm. This is no ordinary shoulder injury and it must not have happened in an ordinary way.
From a television view, Wade had accrued far worse looking bumps and bruises on his way to 27 points against the Houston Rockets. And that was just through three quarters. No telling what would have happened to the surging Rockets if Wade had played and dominated the fourth quarter.
When you attack the basket at the frequency that Wade does, you get fouled a lot. Getting thrown into the goal post or onto the floor is like fruit for breakfast. Could it be any more routine.

DEFENDING DWYANE

I am not, nor have I ever been a Miami Heat fan. I am an admirer, though, of Wade as a player (See my previously posted Fave 10 list). While Mark Cuban is celebrating jovially as the free-throw shooting Wade gets what he believes is a just dessert, I prefer to live in reality. Here are five facts that you should remember before judging the 2006 Finals MVP.

1) MICHAEL JORDAN IS MICHAEL JORDAN.
People have often compared Wade's 4th quarter heroics and scoring to Air Jordan. While he clearly is the closest thing we have to the former Bulls superstar, he simply is not Jordan. He has said publicly numerous times that the MJ comparisons embarrass him and make him incredibly uncomfortable. He's not comparing himself to Jordan; You, the dissenter are.

2) ATTACKING STARS GET TO THE FREE THROW LINE
I'm glad you like watching Wade shoot free throws Mr. Cuban because he'll be doing a lot more of it as long as he plays in the NBA. Superstars who attack the basket with frequency will always get calls. From Kareem Abdul-Jabar to Jordan, this is historically true. Your own player, Dirk Nowitzki, spends quite a lot of time at the free throw line. That is, when he's attacking the basket. Did he attack in the Finals the way Wade did? Didn't think so. Quit whining about the officiating in the Finals and come back down to earth from your attack on Wade, Mr. Cuban.

3) WADE DID NOT START THE SEMI-FEUD THAT ERUPTED A FEW WEEKS AGO.
Everytime Dirk Nowitzki or you, Mr. Cuban, attack Miami's legitimate championship win, you are attacking Wade. Nowtizki got his just dessert after continually complaining that Dallas gave away the championship or lost it. What Wade said about Nowitzki's leadership was not only a response to a continued attack, but the plain truth. If Dirk had been the kind of 4th quarter leader that Dwyane had been, we might not be having this discussion and it would be Miami as the team in mourning.
He's defending his team and that's what any honorable player would do.

4) DALLAS DIDN'T LOSE, MIAMI WON
The Mavericks didn't give away a damn thing to the Heat. They lost fair and square. Miami won fair and square. You can gripe about poor officiating all you want, but you're just stepping into a very long line of people who are saying the exact same thing. You couldn't beat Wade and subsequently Miami.
I've said it all year long and I'll say it again. Dallas doesn't need to talk about how the suppossed better team lost the Finals. They're playing like they believe it this season and that's what matters. If you want a championship, instead of insulting the team that rightfully beat you, play like you want to get there again. And then, when you get there, don't make the same mistakes.
Dallas has the best record in the league and they are well on their way to doing just that.

5) WADE IS NOT A CRYBABY
This guy takes hits in every game. If he was wincing that badly, it had to be painful. I saw the same look on his face that englufed Yao when he suffered the knee injury in December. It was a look of unimaginable pain combined with the feeling of bittersweet hopelessness. Wade has proven he wants to win. He would have loved to be in Dallas tonight for the Finals rematch. Dwyane, as rich and ad-supported as he is, is the kind of guy who likes to leave it on the court. Wade is the third leading scorer in the NBA. Without his scoring dominance, Miami would be nowhere close to .500. Keep in mind that Miami is stocked full of old guys who are pretty damn lucky to be producing at all.

posted by Robert Kleeman @ 3:27 PM