It's safe to say that Dwyane Wade's rise to fame is being aided by Miami's run in the 2005 playoffs. The man is doing it all — scoring, rebounding, passing, and making it all look good time after time. But this wasn't his team in November, thanks to the dominance of one Shaquille O'Neal.
Over the last few weeks, the balance has shifted as O'Neal continues to battle leg injuries. While Wade has stepped up his game to legend-like levels, the Heat haven't had any trouble putting away the New Jersey Nets and Washington Wizards. So is D. Wade really that good?
Think of it as you would a critically-acclaimed movie. Usually, for every good film, there's an outstanding performance that's propped up due to the work of some supporting cast. Just like a great actor, no one player can make a team great. Flash has been getting some help in the absence of The Diesel. But who is this cast of characters that bring hope of a title to southern Florida?
Eddie Jones has been a solid pro basketball player over his 10-year career. With the Lakers, Charlotte, and now in Miami, Jones continues to show his worth, especially as a second, or third, banana. During these playoffs, his sidekick role has been upped, and he's been showing an extra gear.
During the sweeps of New Jersey and Washington, the Heat have seen an increase in points (12.7 to 15.9 ppg) and a certain defensive presence (1.08 to 1.75 steals a game). Jones is also displaying a sharper shooting touch, hitting almost 52% from the field and 45% behind the three-point arc.
But Eddie's not the only Jones making a name for himself on South Beach. Did you have any idea who Damon Jones was a month ago? Didn't think so. The hyper definition of a journeyman, the undrafted D.J. is on his ninth team in six years with the association. By the way, he signed as a free agent with all of them.
However, Damon's fit in nicely as a late season sharpshooter. He's basically continuing to put up game-worthy numbers in the postseason. The points per game are up by four (11.6 to 15.6). Plus, those timely shots are falling at a clip of 48% on the floor and 45% from treyland. I guess it's a fact that the Florida sand is doing wonders for his game.
While a student at Iowa State, I still rooted for my home state Missouri Tigers. At the time, a talented point guard from Fort Lauderdale named Keyon Dooling stepped in to lead the program. Two years later, Dooling took his game and landed in NBA obscurity with the Los Angeles Clippers.
It seems that Keyon has resurfaced close to home, playing the backup role to Wade's shining star. That's becoming more apparent as the playoffs continue. Through eight games, K.D. has 8.1 ppg (up from 5.2 this season) and is hitting an astonishing 61% of his shots. If he shot like that during his college days, maybe Missouri could have scratched the Final Four without being an upset special. Wishful thinking, I guess.
Now we head to the frontcourt, where the need has been a little more pressing. With O'Neal playing at a fraction of his Shaqbino self, the pickup of former Heat star Alonzo Mourning and the continued emergence of Udonis Haslem have been just what the doctor ordered.
After New Jersey traded him and Toronto couldn't play him, 'Zo arrived back in the place where he played for seven years. This meant that he only got 19 regular-season games in with his current running mates. That hasn't stopped him from making an impact, though. In the absence of Shaq, Mourning minutes have gone up to 17.4 a game. Along with that, the increased time has provided almost three more points and two extra boards per contest. Add that to the emotional lift of screams and heaven pointing, and you have a bona fide comeback story.
Haslem's effort might not be noticed in the scorebooks with the other cast members. In fact, his points and shooting percentage are down from the regular season. But with such a large hole in the middle, Miami's not in the market for extra scoring. The Florida alum has given the Heat a monster rebounding presence to keep opponent possessions short. The 9.1 to 11.5 jump in boards per game brings more sturdiness to the postseason stage.
With two rounds in the books, the Heat hope to get a rested Shaq in uniform to face the Pistons. However, don't expect that will phase the defending champs. Remember, they took out a pretty full Diesel last season to win the title. This time, though, O'Neal and Wade have backup, and they're not afraid to use it.
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