Cavaliers' LeBron James, Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade put on a show for the ages
BY ISRAEL GUTIERREZ
IGUTIERREZ@MIAMIHERALD.COM
There was a single moment Monday night when a game between the Heat and Cavaliers became the best two-man show South Florida has ever seen.
It started with Dwyane Wade chasing down a fast-breaking LeBron James. Wade caught up, went up, but still got dunked on, and was called for the foul.
That wasn't the moment. It came immediately after, when the Cavaliers bench celebrated the play so vociferously and for so long that Wade got annoyed. He looked toward the bench players, who were still falling over themselves in laughter as James shot his free throw and clapped, acknowledging the quality of the play.
Then he went over and said a few words.
And then it was on.
What ensued was one of the most entertaining, intense, electrifying games of H-O-R-S-E an NBA arena has seen, up there with anything Larry Bird and Dominique Wilkins ever had, and probably even better than Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell, if anyone actually can remember that far back.
After a quick timeout, an angry Wade hit a couple of free throws. Then hit a jumper. Then went a little deeper for his next shot, a three-pointer that went through despite being fouled.
When the whistle blew, the arena erupted and even the most amateur of lip readers could tell Wade was telling the world, ``Don't mess with me!''
The Cavaliers bench was apparently unaware of that rule.
But what Wade might not have known was that James was ready and willing to match every move.
After Wade's three, James hit a three. When Wade came back and hit a long step-back jumper over for Jamario Moon, James hit a slightly longer step-back jumper over Quentin Richardson.
After Wade drew a foul against Anderson Varejao on the next possession, forcing an official timeout, James went over to his good buddy, said a few words and slapped him on the chest. Greatness acknowledging greatness.
``To be completely honest, I was saying to myself that was probably the most amazing thing I've ever seen in my life,'' Michael Beasley said.
He might only be 21, but that has to mean something.
AmericanAirlines Arena was buzzing like it was during the 2006 Finals, only this was an unexpected treat. The only unfortunate part was that the clock insisted on continuing to count down, ensuring that this brilliance would end. That only meant the two showmen would have to end with a bang.
Of course, they did.
In one series, Wade stopped a Cavaliers alley-oop attempt, gathered the ball on the baseline, raced down the court against three Cavs and hit an eight-foot runner despite being fouled. Wade missed the free throw but chased down the offensive rebound, threw it off a Cleveland player and out of bounds to maintain the possession, then hit a three-pointer with 6.6 seconds left.
It was one man providing pure entertainment with an unmatched combination of skill and desire.
Well, actually, it was matched.
Matched by the guy who followed that with a silky 30-footer just 5.4 seconds later. Wade almost had the ultimate last laugh, nearly banking in a 55-footer at the halftime buzzer. But he laughed anyway. So did James, who again had a few friendly words for his competitor.
The whole thing had Wade skipping as he left the floor -- the same thing everyone in the stands would have done if they had the space.
It makes you wonder, though, if that helped or hurt the chances of James and Wade ever joining forces as teammates -- the potential of which was the primary story line of the night until the two interrupted matters by showing off so thoroughly.
On one hand, James was having so much fun competing against his buddy that he might want to maintain that type of rivalry for as long as he plays. On the other hand, James could have just confirmed how great Wade really was and officially realized that the two of them together will never miss out on a title in their primes.
For one night, though -- one quarter, actually -- 2010 free agency didn't matter.
It didn't matter that it ended in forgettable fashion, with Wade missing free throws and committing a careless turnover and missing the potential winning shot.
The pain at the end didn't compare with the goosebumpy exhilaration of that second quarter. Not even close.
Link:
http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/basketball/story/1445919.html
