Ranking the greatest individual Heat playoff series performances of all time
By Azam Masood
![Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat hugs former Miami Heat player Dwyane Wade after Game Two of the Eastern Conference Semifinals(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat hugs former Miami Heat player Dwyane Wade after Game Two of the Eastern Conference Semifinals(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/422b9cda9af430464cb33b4085fbfd12395a0b23aafa26b7bb2e7819fce35c8a.jpg)
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.