Andre Iguodala was infamously crowned the NBA Finals MVP in 2015 over the reigning league MVP Stephen Curry in what was one of the most controversial decisions ever. The argument was that Iguodala won the award for his defense against LeBron James, a rare feat for a defender in the NBA. Yet, as he recently discussed on JJ Redick’s ‘The Old Man and the Three‘ podcast, even he had no answer against a prime Dwyane Wade. During his appearance on the podcast, Iguodala admitted that he had one of his best defensive nights against ‘the Flash’. And yet, in the end, Wade ended up dropping 40 points on him.
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Wade was never known to be the best shooter in the league. In fact, some might even say that shooting was one of his few weaknesses during his time in the NBA. However, because of the speed at which he moved and made cuts, Wade’s gravity was extremely high. Defenders couldn’t help but follow him around with all the attention in the world. Because they understood a key fact – if they lost a step on him once, they weren’t catching him again.
Andre Iguodala painfully remembers Dwyane Wade’s domination
Having played in the league during Dwyane Wade’s prime, Andre Iguodala is no stranger to how the Miami Heat legend played basketball. Having been the primary defender for the opposition’s best player for most of his career, the former Warrior has had to guard ‘The Flash’ on multiple occasions. And especially on one occasion, Wade embarrassed him for it.
The worst part? As Iguodala revealed, Wade had only gone 5 for 24 from the field, and still had 40 points. Here is what he said to JJ Redick during his podcast appearance:
“I had one of my best defensive nights, and he (Dwyane Wade) had like 40-something. He was like 5 for 24. But he was like 23 for 24 from the free-throw line. It was insane! I wanted to kill Sam. Because this was the first time they would flip that screen. Udonis [Haslem] would come up like he was setting it on my left side, then flip it to my right side… Communication, like ‘Yo big, just tell me where it’s at’. And the big is saying it[the screen] is coming from this way. And you know trust is everything too. But I’m like, ‘I done got beat this way a couple of times’… and he’ll flip it the last second.
D Wade (Wade) was solo with his gravity. And then once D Wade got rid of the on-ball defender, you just couldn’t guard him.”
Wade had a reputation for being one of the trickiest players in the NBA. Not only was he gifted with incredible athleticism, but he also understood the best way to use it. Like Andre Iguodala, D-Wade confused countless NBA defenders by switching things up over and over again. In the end, it was one of the biggest reasons he won three championships and became a Hall of Famer.
Wade’s mentality on free throws
Dwyane Wade was simply unstoppable during the 2006 NBA Finals. The then-young guard and Shaquille O’Neal were on the hunt for a championship together. And it was looking likely they were going to get it.
All series long, Wade had drawn a high number of free throws per game. Speaking on it during the series, the Heat icon said the following, as per the Washington Post.
“Earning free throws is not always about the actual defender fouling while you’ve got the ball. Sometimes it’s a mind game.”
Wade would end that series against the Dallas Mavericks, averaging 16.2 free throw attempts, alongside 34.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.7 steals, 1 block per game, winning his first NBA championship.
