Heading into Tuesday night’s game in Brooklyn to face the Nets, Dwyane Wade and the Heat were in desperate need of a feel-good win. They had beaten the Bulls on Monday night to stop a six-game losing streak, but they’re not the youngest team and were looking at the long half of a road back-to-back against a Nets team brimming with confidence after beating the Oklahoma City Thunder. So Wade’s son, Zaire, knew that his dad needed an extra push of motivation and sent one hell of a pep talk:
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Imagine getting that text from your son? Wouldn’t that puff your chest with confidence? Sure, he didn’t get it until after the Heat’s crucial, 102-98, win (in which he played excellently), but it’s the perfect way to seal that Good Win Feeling in; to give Wade what he needs to push Miami back into the upper reaches of the Eastern Conference.
Here’s the text in full, as quoted by Miami Herald columnist Ethan Skolnick:
“Hey man, you won’t get this message until after your game but i wanna say sum. These last few away games I have been watching to see if I can help you with anything. In the game you struggled you of course shot bad from the (field). The games you played good you got to the bucket. Last night vs. the Bulls was I (think) your best game of the season. When you are attacking the rim that causes (the) defense to suck in and opens up and ones for you, wide open treys for your teammates or etc… all I’m saying is stay on attack mode big dog. When you attack they will play you with a lil extra room so that’s when u use that killa instinct and shoot your midrange. And stop being so hard on yourself, most important play for a passion. It seems your playing like someone is making you. No go out there and play like it’s your last game of the season and give it all and trust your teammates.”
It’s a great text, not least of which because it carries the most crucial piece of advice for Wade: attack the basket as much as his body allows. He’ll get a speech at Springfield based on all the damage he can do when he drives to the basket, and though he feels it now (he’s nursing a shoulder injury along with chronic knee pain), it’s still the entirety of what makes him effective. Without the threat of his drive, all of his midrange jumpers become that much more difficult and inefficient — to say nothing of what more penetration does for his teammates.
If Dwyane can use his son’s urging to push his body further to complement Chris Bosh’s all-around game, and help the Heat in Goran Dragic’s absence, Miami can still be an extremely dangerous team in the East.
(Via Miami Herald)
