During the postgame coverage of the Mavericks’ impressive fourth-quarter comeback over the Heat late last night, Rick Kamla and his NBA TV colleagues were trying to pinpoint exactly when during Dallas’s 22-5 closing run was the moment where they felt the comeback turned from unlikely into reality.
Obviously, key shots from the brothers Jason (Kidd and Terry, from another mother) and—of course—Dirk Nowitzki were discussed, but everybody failed to mention that the turning point in the Mavs’ comeback took place before it even began.
It began with just over seven minutes remaining in Game 2’s final frame, when Dwyane Wade buried a corner three-ball to put the Heat up 15 (88-73). After sinking the triple in front of the Dallas bench, Wade’s celebration lingered a little longer than usual—even for the Heatles.
Casually sauntering past the Mavericks reserves and coaches, Wade’s arms were raised in what could’ve been misinterpreted as a victory salute. His basketball BFF LeBron James joined in on the fun, air jabbing Wade’s chest, symbolic of a team that had its opponent on the ropes, but ultimately failed to score the all-important knockout blow.
Much of the media and fans took notice of, and offense to, Wade’s punkish antics, and evidently so did the Mavericks themselves.
"My inner-self talked me out of doing something," said Terry about Wade’s reaction. "You don't want to know what was going through my mind at that point."
Added Tyson Chandler: “He celebrated in front of our bench. I think it angered a lot of us. We came out there and we responded. When we were down 15, we said we have to take it possession by possession. We didn't even call any plays."
Instead, Dallas used the impromptu celebration as motivation for their stirring comeback, seizing the moment to play lockdown defense and allow Terry and Notwitzki to recapture their offensive mojo before it was too late.
This wasn’t the first time in these playoffs where Wade behaved more like an eighth-grade bully than a world-class basketball star. I don’t have to remind Celtics fans of his involvement in Rajon Rondo’s gruesome elbow injury during the Eastern Conference semifinals—one that served as the ultimate turning point in the series.
It was concluded by many that Wade’s play on Rondo wasn’t dirty. In a way, it truly wasn’t, but seeing D-Wade use a smaller and scrawnier player as a human shield didn’t earn him any brownie points in the nobility department.
Events like these that have transpired over the past 12 months in South Beach have significantly depreciated the wholesome and likeable image that Wade once projected years ago. When Flash first entered the league, he was sort of a likeable underdog.
Wade played his college ball at Mid-major Marquette after growing up on the mean streets of the Windy City. He first captured the attention of the sporting masses after leading Marquette on a Cinderella-like run to the Final Four.
Then he memorably joined forces with everybody’s new favorite ex-NBA big man Shaquille O’Neal to take down the mighty offensive juggernaut (and their annoying owner, Mark Cuban) that was the 2006 Mavericks and win an improbable NBA title.
After that, Wade quickly became one of the sport’s premier players, someone who David Stern could sell to young fans as a role model. While Kobe Bryant was fighting for his freedom over sexual assault allegations and Gilbert Arenas was turning the Wizards locker room into the O.K. Corral, Wade stayed in trouble off the court, even going as far as buying his mother a church.
But the cracks in his wholesome image started showing shortly thereafter. Following a messy and highly-publicized divorce, Wade played a major part in LeBron’s now-infamous Decision, wooing he and third wheel Chris Bosh down to Miami in an under-the-table manner.
For an encore, Wade and his new Big 3 colleagues participated in a WWE-like introductory party at the American Airlines Center after the signings last summer. Something tells me the 2006 D-Wade would’ve been content with just a press conference.
It’s fascinating to watch the demise of Wade’s once-flawless reputation. Flash went from doing no wrong to having the media scrutinize even his reactions to a big shot, in what has seemed like a flash—or a calendar year.
For Pat Riley’s sake, Wade will hopefully now save the celebrating until after the game is won, or else the Heatles’ chances of winning a title this year will vanish in a Flash.
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