“Here is Dwyane Wade, with 1.3 (seconds) to go!”: How the Flash finished his first playoff game for Miami Heat vs New Orleans with a game-winner

Dwyane Wade became one of the greatest shooting guards of all time by repeatedly dealing killer blows to his playoff opponents.

There aren’t many players in NBA history who’ve earned rave reviews and comparisons to MJ. Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter are just some of those legends to be named in the same breath.

But if someone put a gun to my head and had me find one player with the same explosiveness and quickness in his first step, it would undoubtedly be The Flash.

For the first 8-9 seasons of his NBA career, D-Wade was an absolute menace in most situations. He could split double-teams, beat his man either way and he had a sweet touch from mid-range.

Combine all of these attributes with his propensity to take over games, and you have possibly the 3rd or 4th greatest shooting guard of all time on your hands.

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D-Wade was a Marquette legend through 4 years of some blistering college play. He then moved to the NBA after having both his meniscii removed through knee operations. This is something he’d regret later, but that’s a story for another time.

How Dwyane Wade fashioned a game-winner on his playoff debut for the Miami Heat

The beginning of the legend of Wade County – a play on the term Dade County – took place in his rookie season. It happened when the 6’4″ shooting guard took matters for Miami into his own hands.

D-Wade had already had a pretty great rookie year, not unlike his fellow Rookie of the Year candidates LeBron and Carmelo. He also managed to do what neither of them could – lead his team to the NBA playoffs.

Once there, it only took him his first game to show the basketball world what mettle he truly was made of. His game-winner, aptly commentated on by the legendary Mike Breen, looks like this after several re-renders on SD.

On This Day in 2004

Dwyane Wade hit a Game Winner in his first career Playoff game against the Hornets

Wade finished with 21/5/5 on the night pic.twitter.com/EXlvlKFDha

— LukasCFC ⭐⭐ (@Lukas_2499) April 18, 2022

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Wade would add several game-winners to his tally through the course of a 16-year career. His Hall of Fame induction – soon to come – will definitely have LeBron James or Michael Jordan ushering him into the company of some hallowed legends.