ORLANDO — When you ask Magic coach Steve Clifford about Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade, and what makes him so dangerous, there’s one moment that pops into Clifford’s head. You don’t even have to prompt him on it. His eyes just go wide almost as if he’s filled with horror that it caused him while he was still coaching the Hornets.
“Well, like in Charlotte there (in) Game 6 when he hadn’t hit a 3 since December,” said Clifford. “He hit two in a row and a highly contested 22 footer all within like 35 seconds.”
Clifford is talking about the infamous moment involving one ridiculous fan dubbed “Purple Shirt Guy.” As the Hornets led the Heat in an elimination game, Wade started getting into it with a fan in a purple shirt that decided the game had to be more about himself than the Hornets. In that moment Wade decided he was going to make this fan a local legend on the level of Spike Lee vs. Reggie Miller and Bartman in Chicago. He torched the Hornets, talked back to the fan, and led the Heat to a stunning victory. Miami would go on to win Game 7 at home and advance to the second round.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqI5SRgVEBw
This was a vintage Dwyane Wade playoff moment, something he had done his entire career up to that point. He took the team, put them on his shoulders, and carried them to a victory that maybe they shouldn’t have gotten. Obviously, winning the game was the first thing on Wade’s mind, but did he maybe want to show up that fan too? Yeah, probably. Erick Spoelstra thinks so at least.
“Great competitors find different things that will stimulate them.” said Spoelstra. “That will push them to another level. Dwyane has always been wired by all the right things.”
It’s the way Wade is wired that makes him the kind of player he is. When Wade entered the NBA, he was perfect for the league. Someone that attacked the rim, used his athleticism, and scored with the ball in his hands. In the early 2000s that was the model player of an NBA star on the perimeter, but the league evolved and changed in a way that should have made Wade obsolete. The NBA became about shooting, moving the ball, and using help defense to swarm others. Wade could have stayed stubborn. He won a championship and was NBA Finals MVP at 24 years old. Why would he need to change? Well, he didn’t really. He just found a way to make himself effective in a new era.
“That I’m still here.” said Wade. “(I) play a different style of basketball. An aggressive attacking style. I haven’t had the most luck on injuries and all these things either. To be able to still be here. To be able to still be an important piece of a team. That’s what I’m most proud of. More so than anything else.”
He’s right to be proud of that longevity. It’s not easy lasting in the NBA. Even great players eventually hit a mark where they’re just not effective anymore. It’s possible Wade is hitting that mark soon. In his retirement tour opener, he only scored nine points on 13 shots. However, in true Wade fashion, he found other ways to make his impact felt. He had 11 rebounds, five on the offensive glass, and knew where he needed to be.
“His IQ is what’s keeping him in the league to today.” Hassan Whiteside told UPROXX. “When your body starts slowing down and he lost a lot of that dunking on people on a regular basis. He could play in the league four more years if he wanted to off his IQ alone.”
Wade’s an incredibly accomplished player. He’s won three titles. He’s the greatest shot blocking guard ever. He’s one of the five best shooting guards ever. He attacks on defense, creates on offense, and just carries himself with a swagger that is recognized immediately. When Wade enters the room everybody notices. That attitude raises an unanswerable question about the future Hall of Famer. Is the reason Wade’s successful because he knows how to carry himself, or did his success lead to him gaining these qualities?
“You wish you had an analytic that could show you the guys that will find a way to transcend everything and propel you to a different level.” Spoelstra said. “I haven’t seen one of those yet. By definition he’s a winner. To go along with that, competitiveness would be 1A, but his Hall of Fame mind for the game would be 1B.”
Asking about Wade gets the same response from anybody that’s competed against him or been on the same team with him. Wade just thinks on a level that makes him unique. It makes him who he is.
“He just makes things easier for everybody.” Justise Winslow told UPROXX. “Leadership. Communication. Takes the pressure off of you and allows you just to play your game. Just his leadership qualities and characteristics make the game a lot easier.”
It’s a really common theme with Wade. He makes the game easier. He understands it better than most, and it’s earned him respect across the league.
“I think it goes without saying.” Clifford said. “Not only his athleticism. He’s one of the great competitors of our time. When the game’s on the line he’s always been terrific … He’s very much like how Iverson was. If you don’t know where he is, LeBron’s the same way, they play like safeties. They’re gonna get a couple steals a game. All of those things. He drives away in every pick and roll. He looks like he’s gonna throw to the corner, he lobs it up to Whiteside. He’s got all the little tricks.”
It’s the little tricks that makes Wade who he is. It’s why he’s lasted in the league so long and why his mindset draws people to him. He’s the kind of player that teammates want to play with, especially in a culture like the one that’s been built in Miami, because his entire basketball life he’s been doing this.
Wade sees that effect he has himself. He notices when guys play harder or find the perfect spot for him to deliver the ball.
“My playmaking ability has always been key for me I’ve always been able to get guys the ball.” Wade said. “Guys also know that I can make plays. They do stuff a little harder when I have the ball. Big guys love me cause I can find them on the roll and guards understand that I’m gonna find them. You find your own niche. Whatever works for your own game and you try to master it.”
As Wade enters what should be the final season of his career, there is really nothing left for him to master. He found his niche. He found his game, and he excelled in it. Along the way he’s gained the respect of everybody around him and it’s merely added to his legacy even further. Ask anybody about Wade and they will talk about all the intangibles he brings on a nightly basis. That’s what makes Wade the player he is, and allows him to be effective for one last dance.
