Moments before tip-off of his second NBA Finals, Dwyane Wade took some time to gaze at the championship banner hanging high over the east side of the AmericanAirlines Arena.
Just seconds later, he jogged to the opposite baseline to give his mother an extended hug, much to the delight of the cheering crowd around them.
As he prepared for his second Finals appearance against the Dallas Mavericks, and possibly on his way to a second championship, all appeared right in Wade’s world.
And then the game started.
And then he again became the “who is that?” player we saw for most of the Eastern Conference finals.
The player who matched a Heat franchise-high with nine turnovers in that dramatic Game 5 win against Chicago reappeared to start this series. A 1-of-5 shooting performance in the first quarter. Three turnovers in the second quarter.
By the end of the first half of a game that was sloppy on both sides, Wade was the sloppiest. Unfamiliar. Rhythmless.
This was the Wade we saw against the Bulls and assumed he was injured. He spent four days insisting he wasn’t, but he would’ve had to face another round of those same questions if this is how he continued to perform.
Then came the fourth quarter, and apparently with it a reminder that it was the Finals and he was playing the Mavericks and he has quite a history in this exact scenario. He recovered, confidently taking jump shots and making jump shots.
It’s what the Heat is going to need to continue its success in this series after a Game 1 win. More of the self-assured Wade. More of the player who knows he can take Jason Kidd or DeShawn Stevenson or even Shawn Marion at will.
Because these Finals are, already, begging for the Wade of 2006.
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