Getty Former Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade
The final stretch of Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade’s NBA career is now coming down to the wire, and it means each game draws a larger spotlight. On Sunday night, Wade played what will likely be his final game at Oracle Arena against the Golden State Warriors. While the two teams will meet once more this season, that matchup will be played in Miami.
After the game wrapped up and the Warriors held off the Heat for a 120-118 win, Wade swapped jerseys with star Stephen Curry and was immediately swarmed by players after. The moment was caught on camera and revealed by House of Highlights.
While the game featured a wild back-and-forth finish with Dion Waiters missing a last-second 3-pointer, Wade played 29 minutes off the bench and had a few key plays down the stretch. He wrapped up the night with 10 points on 5-of-14 shooting with nine assists and six rebounds.
Miami Heat’s Playoff Outlook
Although it would take an NBA Finals run from the Heat to meet the Warriors on the road again, the focus remains locked on the postseason for Miami. As things currently stand, they sit with a 25-29 record which leaves them tied for the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference with the Detroit Pistons.
There’s a huge divide in the East, as the Brooklyn Nets (No. 6), Charlotte Hornets (No. 7), Pistons, and the Heat are separated by just 2.5 games. But the gap between the Nets and No. 5-seed Boston Celtics is 6.5 games. Behind Miami is the Orlando Magic and Washington Wizards, who are just 1.5 and two games back of the Pistons and Heat for the final playoff spot.
Seeing Wade have one more chance in the playoffs before he rides off into the sunset would be great for the NBA and something fans would surely love.
Dwyane Wade’s Strong 2018 Season
While the 37-year-old saw a decline in production during the 2017-18 season in stretches with both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Heat, he’s improved production across the board this year. In 21 games with Miami last season, Wade averaged 12.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game while shooting 40.9 percent from the field and 22.0 percent from deep.
The struggles shooting pointed to Wade possibly slowing down, but that’s been put to rest through 43 games of the 2018 season. To this point in the year, he’s averaging 14.0 points, 4.3 assists and 3.8 rebounds while posting his best 3-point percentage in a single season. Wade has knocked down 33.3 percent of his attempts while averaging 3.7 shots from beyond the arc per game, the most of his career.
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