Modern NBA fans remember Dwyane Wade as LeBron James’ running mate on the Heat Superteam that made it to four straight NBA finals from 2011 to 2014. However, slightly older fans have fond memories of the guard’s historic run in the 2006 playoffs. The Hall of Famer shared a post on his Instagram stories reminiscing his heroics in that run to remind his followers of that legendary display.
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Dwyane Wade looks back at his ’06 playoffs run pic.twitter.com/zaYPgk6E6U
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The original post was from popular basketball content creators, Broadcast Boys. It broke down Wade’s performance in each series that the Heat won en route to the title in 2006.
The video opened with narrator Nelson Vergara noting that the 2005-06 Miami team boasted three future Hall of Famers in Shaquille O’Neal, Alonzo Mourning, and Gary Payton. However, the 24-year-old guard was still the standout player on the team.
In the first round against the gritty Bulls, Wade averaged 24.7 points, 7.2 assists, 4.5 rebounds, two steals, and 1.3 blocks, leading the Heat to a 4-2 series win. In the second round against the Nets, who had their own Big 3 in Vince Carter, Jason Kidd, and Richard Jefferson, the guard upped his production to 27.6 points, 6.6 assists, six rebounds, and 2.4 steals in a gentleman’s sweep.
The Eastern Conference Finals was a rematch of the previous campaign. The Heat faced off against the Pistons, who had beaten them 4-3 in 2005. Wade was gunning for revenge and was exceptional in the first five games of the series, averaging 29.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.5 assists.
He had a dismal outing in Game 6, but O’Neal, who lost to the Pistons in the 2004 NBA Finals with the Lakers, put on a clinic. He scored 28 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to help Miami win the series and advance to their maiden NBA Finals.
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Their maiden voyage in the championship series did not go as smoothly as they had envisioned. They lost the first two games and their odds of winning the championship were essentially written off. However, Wade didn’t give up.
Instead, he embarked on one of the greatest individual runs in NBA history.
The 24-year-old guard averaged 39.3 points, 8.3 assists, 3.5 assists, 2.5 steals, and one block from Games 3 to 6, leading the Heat to four straight wins and the NBA title. Unsurprisingly, he was named the Finals MVP.
At the time, he was the fourth-youngest player to win the coveted prize, cementing his status as one of the best players in the league.
