This is the stuff legends are made of.
Recovering from a sinus infection, hobbling on a banged-up knee, down 0-2 in the NBA Finals, down 13 points in Game 3 with only 6:34 to play.
This is Jordan playing against the Utah Jazz with the flu, draping himself over Scottie Pippen's shoulder just to make it to the sideline after scoring 38 points.
This is Byron Leftwich playing on a broken leg for Marshall, being carried by his linemen down the field after every play.
This is Curt Schilling winning Game 6 of the 2006 ALCS against the New York Yankees as his sock sopped up the blood from the surgically repaired tendon in his ankle.
This was 42 points (12 in the last 6:34), 13 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals in Game 3 of the NBA Finals for the hobbled hero, Dwyane Wade.
Just when it looked like it was going to be another Dallas win and an 0-3 deficit for the Heat, Wade did his best Jordan/Leftwich/Schilling impersonation and rallied his team from a 13-point fourth quarter deficit.
Not bad for a guy playing on a bum knee.
This is the stuff legends are made of.
This is D-Wade's answer to LeBron's performance against the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
The similarities are all there.
His team down 0-2 after getting pretty much embarrassed in both contests. Everyone pretty much writing the series off. The opposition confident after dominating you for ninety-six minutes. Parade schedules are being made.
And then, things change...
Game 3 vs. the Pistons for LeBron James: 21 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, 4 steals, 1 block
Game 3 vs the Mavs for Dwyane Wade: 42 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals
The comparison is easy for the two most electric, athletic, and talented players in the NBA. These are the two guys that are going to dominate the Eastern Conference in the next decade, and these are the two guys that are going to change the game again and move past all the "Jordan-like" and "Jordan-esque" comments.
We got to witness (no pun intended) one in the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Pistons, and we got to witness the other one last night in the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks.
However, this is just where the legend starts. It'll be the beginning of the tale, the part that sets up all the obstacles and boundaries that the hero overcomes later on. The early success that makes the latter all the more sweet.
Recovering from a sinus infection, hobbling on a banged-up knee, down 0-2 in the NBA Finals, down 13 points in Game 3 with only 6:34 to play.
All the drama, excitement, ability, determination, imagination, and heart that we should expect from one of the best two players in the league was on display for the world to see. Wade rescued the series for the Heat. He carried a team that was lacking a leader. He put an exclamation mark on a season that has seen him eclipse Shaquille O'Neal as the star of the team.
And after 6:34 of perfection, he even surprised Pat Riley, and made him a "believer."
That says something, considering how many legends Pat Riley has seen in his long NBA career.
The Miami Heat's comeback victory puts the team in a position to get back into this series before the series goes back to Dallas. There should be no doubt after Tuesday's performance that, even with a bum leg, Dwyane Wade will be on the top of his game.
After all, there's a difference between being "legendary" and merely being fodder for ESPN Classic reruns.
That difference is the championship, the ring, the trophy.
Looking ahead to Game 4, all heroics and comebacks aside, until Wade puts that ring on his finger or hoists the Larry O'Brien trophy in the air, he'll still only be a legend in the making. And that is what drives him and motivates him inside. And truly, every ounce of that determination inside, and every resulting ounce of on-the-court brilliance on the outside, that is the stuff that legends are made of.
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