It is the dog days of summer, folks. The Finals are over, the draft is in the books, and the free agency craze has worn off. We are in that sweet spot of the offseason when the theatrics of transitions and signings are over, and the festivities of the next season are still ahead.
It’s the perfect time of summer to look back into the caverns of NBA history, finding and polishing some Miami Heat gems from years past.
For the next few weeks, we will look back at some significant games in Heat history. Some Miami Moments, if you will, to break the monotony of the offseason grind and hopefully bring a smile to your face as you gloat over victories won in another life.
For today’s Miami Moment, the trip into the past won’t take too long and will allow us to bask in the glory of one Dwyane Wade. Let us hope in the time machine and spin the dial back to February 27, 2019.
A final flash of glory for a senior Wade
The young star from Marquette, who became the face of the Heat, was no longer a spring chicken. The one who brought in blue-chip pieces and turned them into titles, first with Shaquille O’Neal, then LeBron James and Chris Bosh, was now an elder statesman of the league.
He had sojourned across the league, trying to team up with a new Big 3 in Chicago, and even chasing his friend LeBron to Cleveland.
Each venture ended in awkwardness and failure.
Dwyane Wade returns home to the Miami Heat for his farewell tour
And so Dwyane Wade landed back in Miami. He ended up back home. After years of slowing down in Miami, a couple of years bouncing around the East seemed to expedite the aging process. In his final season in the NBA, Wade started just two of the 72 games he played.
The final days were coming, the farewell tour underway. Decades of All-Star seasons, heart-stopping moments, and three title runs were drawing to a close.
But in his finals months as an NBA player, Wade still had enough magic for one show-stopping play. He still had the goods to close out a game with one more memorable performance, one last highlight for the reel.
Of course, that couldn’t come against the Minnesota TImberwolves or the Sacramento Kings. No, Flash needed to be on the big stage against a prime-time team. He needed a proper spotlight for one last moment.
A spotlight like the one that shined on the defending champion Golden State Warriors. They had just added multi-time All-Star Kevin Durant to help sweep LeBron in the Finals and were on yet another tear through the regular season.
At the time, the Heat had just scraped past 25 wins. Unlike the Warriors, who were on the prowl for another title, Miami seemed ill-fit even to make the playoffs. The biggest thing happening in 2019 for South Beach? The Father Prime tour.
Dwyane Wade hits one final big-time bucket in a Miami Heat uniform
Despite the disappointing year, the Heat got their dander up for this game. They scored 32 in the first quarter and took a 74-59 lead into halftime. But Miami, leading by as much as 24-points, found a way to squander the lead, as the Warriors scored 66 second-half points.
Double-digit points from Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and Klay Thompson gave the Warriors a 125-123 lead with just nine seconds left.
That is when Wade, with 22 points off the bench, decided to burn one more memory in the minds of Miami Heat fans everywhere.
Wade for the Win
One thing that stands out about the last nine seconds of this game is the defense. During their championship runs, the Warriors’ offense was so blindingly good that it is easy to forget about the team’s exceptional defense.
The Warriors played the last nine seconds perfectly. Andre Iguodala stayed in Wade’s jersey, even after Wade hit him with the hesi.
Wade tossed the ball over to Dion Waiters (is it crazy to anyone else that Waiters started 28 games for the Heat in 2018-19 and Wade started two?), who was promptly blanketed by Jordan Bell.
Waiters tossed the ball back to Wade, who pivoted back to the top of the key. Bell actually blocks the shot after Durant bites on the pump-fake.
Wade throws a chest pass to the rim with just zero-point eight seconds left, and hits pay dirt.
Jump on that table, Father Prime; this is your moment.