This is the first of a three-part AUCH series, all honoring Miami Heat legend and future Hall of Famer, Dwyane Wade; three contributors will be breaking down his top three performances based on the Pre-Big Three era, Mid-Big Three era, and Post-Big Three era.
Drafted firth overall back in 2003, Marquette standout Dwayne Wade started his NBA dream by signing with the Miami Heat.
16 years later and he has exploded to become arguably one of the top two guards in NBA history.
A suave and finesse guard that knows the in’s and out’s of pick and rolls and fast transition plays, Wade has gone to display multiple classic performances in a Heat uniform.
One of the most memorable ones started early on in his career.
In fact, it was only three years in when, after trading for big man Shaquille O’ Neal, the Heat made it to the NBA finals in 2006, to take on the Western Conference favorites, Dallas Mavericks.
That series brought the “Flash” out, and henceforth came to be known as Wade’s breakthrough performance.
That series elevated the conversation to best NBA Finals performance in league history. This debate gets lost due to his predecessors and the constant hype either between Michael Jordan’s impeccable run with the Chicago Bulls or Kobe Bryant’s back to back wins in the early 2000’s.
Let’s leave that aspect aside to look at it from a statistical approach, and more than anything, for what it was at the moment: the true definition of an underdog story.
Dwyane Wade executed dominance in that series after being down 2-0 to the favorites.
That year, the Mavericks (60-22, with the third best record in the league behind the San Anotio Spurs and Detroit Pistons) had dethroned the defending champions to reach the conference finals, ultimately earning a spot in the Finals after a 4-2 victory over the Phoenix Suns.
The Heat chose a similar path, dethroning the Eastern Conference champions, Detroit Pistons, in six, to face the juggernauts Mavericks in the Finals.
After that rough 2-0 start, many wondered if those three games in Miami (back then it was an NBA Finals format of 2-3-2) would be enough to kickstart a comeback.
They didn’t count on Wade leading that charge.
Game 3
That game was the start and Wade’s aggressive control scorched the Mavericks’ defense in a close and contested 98-96 victory. He led the comeback by scoring 12 points in the final six minutes; Wade finished the night with 42 points and 13 rebounds.
Game 4
The following game wasn’t any different, as they knew the pressure was still on, being down 2-1.
Wade never let up.
His tenacity was on par when his back was against the wall. In fact, it was a dominant 20-7 fourth quarter that sealed the deal, with Shaq claiming 13 rebounds that game (10 defensively).
Game 5
All tied up 2-2 was when Wade’s heroics once again came in clutch.
Down four with two minutes left, Wade never stopped pushing, even after he lost control of some of his handles, recuperating and squeezing his way into the rim. His confidence never strayed as he took control of the ball with 5 seconds left, and took it to the rim with an off-balance jumper in the perimeter, to tie the game and take it to overtime.
What a play.
All the emotions of an NBA Finals game were felt all throughout Miami, as they witnessed a young player from Chicago give it his best and never quit, as he took his team to overtime to secure that win.
A definite future Hall-of-Famer in the making.
Game 6
In Game 6, it felt like the Heat controlled the pace with ease and were relatively comfortable, as they managed to complete the comeback to secure the franchise’s first ever NBA Championship.
It was all thanks to Wade, who held one of the arguably best NBA Finals performances by a guard ever. It was reminiscent to the Jordan days and how his simple presence breathed greatness.
In Miami’s four games after being down 2-0, Wade went on to score 42, 36, 43 and closed it out with 36 points; a total 208 points in the whole series. That ranks him 13th overall in most points scored in an NBA Finals series, via Basketball-Reference.
He also had 97 free throw attempts in the whole series, averaging 16.1 per game.
In the end, it started with statistics but ended with heart.
Wade displayed hustle and became the aggressor early on. That performance skyrocketed him into the MVP conversation and demanded respect from the league; it did just that.
Since that glorious NBA Finals, he’s gone on to win two more NBA rings during the Big Three era, but no one will ever forget his start and the performance that put Wade on the map.