Ranking the greatest individual Heat playoff series performances of all time
By Azam Masood
The Playoff Round: 2005 Eastern Conference Semifinals (Heat win 4-0)
The Player & The Line: Dwyane Wade, 31.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 8.0 APG, 1.3 SPG, 1.5 BPG on 54-0-75 shooting splits
The Context: It seems ludicrous when you consider their respective outcomes, but there’s an argument to be made that the 2005 Heat were better than the 2006 team that won the title. After a 59-23 regular season, the Heat steamrolled their opposition in the first two rounds of the playoffs. A Wizards team with an ascending star in Gilbert Arenas was absolutely no match for a 23-year-old Dwyane Wade. What makes his all-around brilliance in this series even more exemplary is that Shaquille O’Neal, a near-MVP winner in 2005, missed Games 3 and 4 of the series entirely.