Dwyane Wade Hobbling, Again

Added on Jun 10, 2011 by Scott in

NBA

Dwyane Wade wasn’t very talkative after last night’s Game 5 loss to the Mavericks in regards to his most recent injury. The bruised left hip that cost him portions of the second and third quarters won’t prevent him from taking the court Sunday for Game 6, but with elimination staring the Heat squarely in the face, a gimpy Wade is obviously less than ideal.

It would be easy to point a finger at Wade’s health as the reason for Miami’s defeat. However, he did return and score a team-high ten points in the fourth quarter. He endured the pain, toughed it out, and yet it wasn’t enough to overcome the Mavericks long-range barrage which resulted in 13 made three-pointers.

It would be easy to once again lay the blame at the feet of LeBron James. Despite a triple-double, he still hesitated to attack the basket and was nowhere to be found down the stretch. With Wade clearly laboring, it would have been the perfect situation for the King to affix his crown and take over.

The truth is Wade’s injury and LeBron’s MIA status can’t account for Miami’s deplorable defense. Dallas shot 56.5% from the field, including 68.4% from beyond the arc. The guard trio of Jason Kidd, Jason Terry and J.J. Barea hit 10-15 three-pointers and combined to net 51 points. Dirk Nowitzki was, well, his usual dominant self, dropping 29 and converting all ten of his free-throw attempts.

The extra day of rest might be all that’s needed for Wade to get right, and for the team to clear their collective head. The Heat are 9-1 at home in the playoffs, so the crowd will be on their side. That’s the glass half full perspective.

The glass half empty viewpoint is Miami is on the brink, one game away from seeing their season end. A hobbled Wade has never boded well for the Heat in previous postseason series. That being said, the time for excuses is over.

Source: ESPN.com