Friday, June 22, 2012
Dwyane Wade as Miami Heat's Mariano Rivera-Sun Sentinel
.
6/10/12, "For Dwyane Wade, a new life as Mariano Rivera," South Florida Sun Sentinel, Ira Winderman, Oklahoma City
"In 2006, nothing less than a complete game was required, as he led the Miami Heat to what remains the franchise's lone NBA championship. In last season's NBA Finals, he worked somewhat as a set-up man, trying to ease LeBron James through an ill-fated championship round against the Dallas Mavericks. This year, Dwyane Wade arrives back at the NBA Finals
6/10/12, "For Dwyane Wade, a new life as Mariano Rivera," South Florida Sun Sentinel, Ira Winderman, Oklahoma City
"In 2006, nothing less than a complete game was required, as he led the Miami Heat to what remains the franchise's lone NBA championship. In last season's NBA Finals, he worked somewhat as a set-up man, trying to ease LeBron James through an ill-fated championship round against the Dallas Mavericks. This year, Dwyane Wade arrives back at the NBA Finals
- as Mariano Rivera. The Heat's closer.
It isn't necessarily a role that has been designed by coach Erik Spoelstra, or one that Wade has sought. It just sort of evolved as the byproduct of rough starts through this postseason run to this championship series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Over the final three games of the Heat's seven-game Eastern Conference finals against the Celtics, Wade scored 31 points in the fourth quarters, his highest-scoring quarter in each of those games. Of his 150 points in the seven games against the Celtics, 106 came after halftime.
That essentially led to saves over the final two games of the series after the Heat had fallen into a 3-2 hole."...
