Top 100 moments of the 2018-19 NBA season, Part 2

13. The best of Dwyane Wade’s farewell tour

Whole books could be written about Dwyane Wade’s farewell tour and the moments that defined it, but for our intents and purposes, we’ll focus on the basketball-related highlights of his jersey-swapping extravaganza (excluding his final showdown with LeBron James, appearance at All-Star Weekend and final two games, since those are covered elsewhere here).

It was pretty clear this would be an unforgettable, season-long goodbye from Flash early on. In late November, he threw it back with a 35-point performance, setting yet another franchise record, but this time for most points off the bench.

A few weeks later, he joined Michael Jordan and LeBron James as the only players in NBA history with 20,000 points, 5,000 assists, 4,000 rebounds, 1,500 steals, 800 blocks and 500 made 3-pointers.

There was Vince Carter’s message in their final meeting. There was this vintage half-spin and fadeaway jumper in a game where he scored 19 in a win over the Celtics. There was a halftime buzzer-beating 3 against the Grizzlies.

In his final game in his hometown of Chicago, Wade put up 14 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists and the city that bore him showed him some love. There was his hesitation dribble and rim-rocking dunk that looked more like prime D-Wade against his other former team in Cleveland.

Or how about his 15-10-5 line in his first game at Madison Square Garden, followed by a standing ovation in his second? Or his late-game block on Kevin Durant in a close loss to the Warriors at Oracle Arena? Or how fans chanted “We want Wade” in his final game in Dallas, where he and Dirk Nowitzki checked in at the same time and swapped jerseys afterward?

Though his dagger steal and layup to finish off the Mavericks in his final game against Dirk in Miami was memorable, the lasting image of his final season (aside from his heart-wrenching final two games) was the game-winner he hit against the Warriors at home:

It was an absolutely perfect moment. The floor angle of the ensuing celebration was exhilarating to watch. That shot had no business going in, but it did, because this was Wade’s year, and this was his house.