The 10 Best LeBron James/Dwyane Wade Alley-Oops

All along, it’s been a running joke amongst NBA fans. The Big Three in Miami is really only the Big Two. We know what Dwyane Wade and LeBron James are… no one is quite sure what to make of Chris Bosh or how to include him. Well now we know: Bosh is out indefinitely with the abdominal injury he suffered in Game 1 yesterday afternoon, and the whisperings are that the Third Wheel may miss this second round series with the Pacers. That leaves the Heatles in exactly the same position they’ve always been… a bunch of role players supporting the two most unstoppable fast-break options in the league.

James didn’t have a great start yesterday after receiving the MVP trophy in his newly-customized sneakers. But he did catch this awesome half-court pass from Wade for a pretty finish.

Was it a spectacular alley-oop? Yes. But since these two put together more highlights than a stalker filing through Scarlett Johansson‘s personal photos, this one is nothing more than another notch on the belt.

Whether Miami can overcome the loss of Bosh inside is up for debate. In the meantime, here are the 10 best alley-oops Wade and ‘Bron have connected on…

Honorable Mention:

MAR. 29, 2012 VS. DALLAS
Another piece of evidence that can be used to prove Lamar Odom wasn’t the only thing wrong with Dallas this year. They just flat-out sucked.

OCT. 29, 2010 VS. ORLANDO
In one of their first real tests together with the Miami Heat, ‘Bron and Wade welcomed the Orlando Magic – a team thought to be a real nightmare matchup – into South Beach where they promptly disintegrated them by 26. This play came in the midst of a crazy first half run, and I distinctly remember being scared for the rest of the NBA.

10. JAN. 27, 2011 AT NEW YORK
Remember two summers ago when a new GIF or Photoshop’d picture of LeBron in a Knicks’ uniform would turn up somewhere on the Internet? I think it’s safe to say New Yawkers never thought they be Witness-ing plays like this in the future.

9. FEB. 19, 2012 VS. ORLANDO
Shoutout to LeBron the point guard here. If there’s any instance of a more pin-point pass from midcourt on an alley-oop, show it to us. It’s as if he leads Wade right into the bucket. All Wade had to do was casually jump up just a few inches above the rim and casually finish it. Orlando had no chance.

8. FEB. 10, 2012 AT WASHINGTON
These two passes, particularly the second one from Wade are simply ridiculous. Only a team like the Wizards would let something like this happen to them; It almost feels like LeBron and D-Wade aren’t even trying. And in a sense, they didn’t need to. The Wizards were demolished by 17 in this one.

7. JAN. 29, 2012 VS. CHICAGO
This was probably the easiest pass on the list, but because John Lucas III turned into a simple human prop this year on multiple dunks, this alley-oop goes from being ho-hum to HOLY SH#%&! The worst part about this play? Just 20 seconds before, the two Heat stars had connected on another alley-oop.

6. DEC. 30, 2011 AT MINNESOTA
If it’s a game winner, I’m giving it extra points, and the Heat are probably one of maybe three or four teams who could legitimately pull something like this off. Extra points considering this game, featuring a young and exciting T’Wolves team that was oozing “Sacramento Kings in 1999” potential, was one of the best matchups of the entire regular season.

5. NOV. 6, 2010 VS. NEW JERSEY
This was just too easy. After the first few weeks together in Miami, nothing was going right for LeBron and Wade except for the nightly highlights.

4. FEB. 21, 2012 VS. SACRAMENTO
The ugly stepchild of another phenomenal play from these two stars. I just feel bad that it seems like no one remembers this one. The Kings get no respect even when they’re on the wrong side of a highlight.

3. DEC. 25, 2011 AT DALLAS
Is it an alley-oop? In the most technical sense, yes. Otherwise, it was just too good of a play to keep off. This was the first clue that the Dallas Mavericks used up all of their championship swagger last year as they were smacked around at home on Christmas like a fifth grade nerd.

2. MAR. 1, 2012 AT PORTLAND
I’m not sure what’s more impressive here: the finish from LeBron James that was so animalistic it put all of the women and children to bed in Portland, the pass from D-Wade which was a legit no-look lob, or even the way Miami went into the Rose Garden on this night and flayed the Blazers finger by finger, limb by limb.