Dwyane Wade 46 Points:Miami Heat vs Boston Celtics – Dwayne Wade did not want the season to come to an end, judging by his gritty performance against the Celtics. The Heat were down by 6 points entering the 4th quarter, and they were playing to continue the season as they were down three games to none after the first three games of the seven game series. It is apparent that Wade took the game upon his own shoulders in the fourth quarter and was able to deliver a victory. Over the course of the game Wade was able to score 46 points, easily leading all players in the game. The closest player in terms of scoring was Celtics’ Rajon Rondo, who finished with 23 points.
Quentin Richardson also had a hot hand throughout the night. He scored the first 8 points for the Heat, 6 of which came from early three point shots. Things looked great the beginning, as the Heat jumped out to an early 12-2 lead over the Celtics. They were able to force 4 careless Celtic turnovers in the first 4 minutes of the game. Despite their early lead, by the end of the third quarter they were down, but certainly not out.
The closing minutes of the game were among the most exciting. The Heat were not able to take control of the situation until under half of a minute left in the game. Until that point, the Celtics had been in control of their own destiny but had not been able to capitalize on numerous opportunities, including a three point attempt late in the game by Ray Allen that barely missed. It has become clear that Wade can take over a game when it is absolutely required, but it will be a tough hill to climb in order to pull the Heat out of their 3 to 1 hole in the opening round of the NBA playoffs.
