dwyane is the best

Wade leaving his mark on playoffs

Posted by Andrew Lawrence

Clearly Miami was more than just a little upset at how things played out against New Jersey two nights ago. You could tell just how upset by the way the Heat opened Game 2, exhibiting the same intensity and sense of purpose that had defined the Nets in Game 1. After being blown out Monday, the Heat returned the favor on Wednesday, torching the Nets 111-89 to even the series at 1-1.

And just like Monday night, this one was won in the first quarter -- only this time it was New Jersey that faltered from the tip, committing turnover after turnover while the Heat scored 16 unanswered points. By the time the Nets were able to settle into some semblance of a halfcourt offense, the deficit was 26-6 and Nenad Krstic was heading to the bench with two fouls. Miami's 41 first-quarter points set a franchise playoff record.

But it was Krstic's cold start that sealed the Nets' fate. In the past half season, the 22-year-old center has proved himself a vital cog in New Jersey's offense. When he struggles, so too does the team.

After averaging 17 points in the first seven playoff games, Krstic finally came crashing down to earth. He started Wednesday's first quarter 1-for-3 from the field, hoisting all those attempts from at least 20 feet. He missed two attempts in the second and two more in the third and wound up finishing with 14 points on 4-for-10 shooting. Get him going early in Game 3, and he'll end up with twice that.

Overall, the Nets shot 40 percent for the game -- and that's counting the contributions of a hobbled Richard Jefferson, who pitched in 16 points on 8-of-16 from the field despite a bruised bone in his right ankle.

Miami, by contrast, could do no wrong, making 52.7 percent of its shots while going 11-of-20 from 3-point range. The air strike was keyed by none other than Dwyane Wade, who is usually a short- to intermediate-range shooter like Rip Hamilton. But unlike Hamilton, who essentially started heaving 3s out of peer pressure ('Sheed's doin' it ...), Wade's newfound range was born out of necessity -- specifically, a bruised hip sustained a series earlier against Chicago that would limit his mobility.

In Game 2 against the Nets, Wade went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc (all in the first quarter) before returning to his efficient, paint-punishing self, slashing and spinning his way to a game-high 31 points for the night -- including 21 in the first half.

Years from now, we'll look back on the game's transcendent performers and remember this as the postseason of Wade's ascent. In Game 5 of the Chicago series, he tumbled to the floor and bruised his hip, only to return and score 15 of his 28 points after enduring a "shot in butt." Three games later that same hip injury turned Wade from a (potentially) sluggish slasher to a dead-eye marksman.

It's funny: While LeBron James and Kobe Bryant haggle over claims to Michael Jordan's NBA legacy, Wade has quietly carved out his own fiefdom -- and on his own terms. Which begs the question: Why isn't a bigger deal being made of this?