1. Will there be one final playoff run for Dwyane Wade?
With three NBA titles, the 2006 Finals MVP award and now 13 All-Star appearances under his belt, Dwyane Wade has truly achieved it all throughout his 16 seasons in the league. However, that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t love to add to his 177 career playoff games.
The Heat currently have 26 wins, with 16 of their remaining 26 games featuring teams presently poised for a trip to the postseason. Of these 26 games, 14 will be played at AmericanAirlines Arena. Unfortunately for the Heat, their home record has deserted them this season, with the team returning a paltry 11-16 record on their home floor.
Possibly the most challenging aspect facing Wade and the Heat down the stretch is that there are four back-to-back slots of games on the menu. Here are the teams they face on these four occasions:
- Feb. 27 vs. Golden State Warriors/Feb. 28 @ Houston Rockets
- March 17 vs. Charlotte Hornets/March 18 @ Oklahoma City Thunder
- March 22 @ Milwaukee Bucks/March 23 @ Washington Wizards
- April 9 vs. Philadelphia 76ers/April 10 @ Brooklyn Nets
One Last Dance. https://t.co/amr0xjgDun pic.twitter.com/flRbAK6X8m
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) September 17, 2018
This is clearly a highly challenging block of games, with six of these games coming against teams with a superior record. While he’s performed terrifically up until this point of the season in averaging 14.0 points and 4.3 assists as the Heat’s sixth man, it’s still up in the air as to how Wade will respond to the last section of the season.
However, if there’s one player in Heat history who has been able to rise to the occasion and deliver when it’s most needed, its been Wade.
Given the enormity of his last season, and the genuine promise shown by the team on their recent road trip, edging into the playoffs to give Wade one final sendoff seems like a completely realistic goal.