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“Dwyane Wade killed us every game! He took that sh*t personal! : Gilbert Arenas talks about how Heat star went off against his Wizards in the 2005 Playoffs

Achyuth Jayagopal
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"Dwyane Wade killed us every game! He took that sh*t personal! : Gilbert Arenas talks about how Heat star went off against his Wizards in the 2005 Playoffs

Gilbert Arenas’ had one of the best underdog careers of the early 2000s. 

Agent Zero was a second-round pick who burst into stardom for the Washington Wizards. Arenas was an excellent scorer from all three levels and proved to be a stellar player in a star-studded era of the NBA.

With Gil, the Wizards were in regular playoff contention. It marked one of the periods of continued success in the Wizards’ recent history.

Also read: “I made $40 Million and an All-Star game because of this party!” How Gilbert Arenas threw himself a birthday party worth $1 Million and turned it into a multi million dollar shoe deal from Adidas along with an All-Star starting spot over Vince Carter

In a stacked Eastern Conference, the Wizards however did not go the distance. One of their roadblocks was the Miami Heat.

The Miami Heat had drafted superstar Dwyane Wade and were on the way up. The big swing for Shaquille O’Neal, after the disgruntled star wanted out of the Lakers, took them to instant contention.

Even with Shaq however, Miami was well en route to becoming Wade County. The Flash had taken the league by storm and was unstoppable on his day.

On Forgotten Seasons, Gilbert Arenas speaks about his young rival with great respect.

What did Arenas have to talk about a young DWade?

DWade and Arenas faced off in the Playoffs in 2005. In the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, DWade’s Heat swept Arenas and his Wizards on the back of Wade’s 31-8-7 statline across the series.

Arenas talks about how Wade was killing them. Wade’s intensity, according to Arenas, made it seem like he took every game personally and converted it to his drive to win.

Arenas mentions how the Heat were overwhelming favorites in the series and showed no mercy. The Flash and Co. did not care much for Gil’s wizardry and scoring and thumped the Wizards promptly.

The Heat became an attractive proposition and Wade set the tone for the “Heat Culture”. The ascendance of Wade to stardom was incredible to watch and paved the way for a hall of fame career.

While the Big-Three version of Heat is often referred to, the Wade-Shaq era isn’t spoken much about. One of the most understated champions, the mid 2000s Heat were a formidable team and deserve more credit.

Also read: “Jayson Tatum joins Dwyane Wade as the youngest player to record 600+ points in a single playoff run”: The Celtics star has something to cheer about amid a slump

About the author

Achyuth Jayagopal

Achyuth Jayagopal

Achyuth Jayagopal is a creative writer with The Sportsrush. After previous freelance dabbles in the industry, Achyuth has authored over 300 pieces for TSR. Having followed the game of basketball for a considerable period, he pledges his allegiance to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. Beyond speaking his mind on all things basketball, Achyuth is a Sports and Gaming Lawyer who is an ardent Chelsea fan and takes a shine to the culinary world and travelling too.

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