If Game 4 was Dwyane Wade?s last home game as a member of the Miami Heat he made sure that everyone got their money's worth.? Facing elimination, the six-time All-Star put the Heat on his back and carried them to a 101-92 victory.
?He took the game over,? Rajon Rando said. ?That is why he is who he is. That is why he is the man for the Heat. He did a great job tonight.?
Facing a 3-0 deficit and a six-point Boston lead, Wade electrified the crowd scoring 46 points highlighted by 19 points in the final quarter. The superstar hit four 3-pointers to give the Heat an 11-point-lead they wouldn?t relinquish.
?Wade brought the team back in one stretch,? Celtics? coach Doc Rivers said. ?He was fantastic. He made shots and he had to make them, but he made them. We have to defend him better. He has hurt us this entire series and we just have to do a better job.?
The 28-year-old superstar has a history of having big games when his team needs him the most. Dating back to his Jordan-esque performance in the 2006 NBA Finals, Wade seems to play his best when his team?s back is against the wall. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra credits his star?s results to defiance.
?He (Wade) probably has the most flagrant defiance and stubbornness in terms of what everybody else is saying,? Spoelstra said. ?Dwyane, our leader and captain led the way be revealing the inside of his character and what he?s made of.?
Wade agrees with his coach,?but also acknowledges that anger plays a part in his ability to shift into the mode that birthed the 'I ain't going out like this' moment in the NBA Finals that made him a star. Game 4 was simply an addition to his growing legend.
?It?s another chapter,? Wade said. ?Some people say ?we?re going to get you angry all the time? but it?s not easy to get angry all the time. Whenever you feel like your back is against the wall something happens. I know a lot of people expected us to just roll over tonight and give them this series because they are up 3-0. That weighed heavily on my mind. I?m just not ready for the summer yet. We?re got a fight ahead of us in Game 5, but they have a fight ahead of them as well.?
The summer plans to be an exciting one for Wade as he, along with LeBron James, will be recruited from several teams with dreams of winning and millions of dollars to spend to help their cause.
Surprisingly, the possibility of Game 4 being his last in a Heat uniform didn?t factor into his explosion.
?It didn?t cross my mind at all,? Wade said.
Winning?Game 4?wasn?t the only thing Wade accomplished with his 46-point performance, his sixth career postseason game with at least 40 points. He was also given another title, though at this point it's unofficial.
?Clearly after this game he moves into first place as the best player to ever come out of Marquette, there?s no doubt about that," said fellow Marquette University star Doc Rivers said. "Just barely."