Pat Riley on Dwyane Wade In 2006: Was the Greatest Player on the Planet

There is a great reason many consider Dwyane Wade to be the greatest player in Heat franchise history. Although LeBron James is the most talented player to play in Miami, Wade accomplished tremendous things during his Heat career. The most impressive achievement came in 2006 when he led Miami to their first NBA championship. Heat head coach at the time, Pat Riley, believes there was no better play on the planet than Wade during that season.

Riley made a guest appearance on The Dan Le Batard Show to discuss an array of conversations concerning the Heat. During their discussion, Riley shed light on Miami’s infamous 2006 title. Despite being down 0-2 to the Mavericks, the Heat strung together four consecutive games behind the back of Wade. Riley is still in awe of how amazing Wade performed in those four games. He said,

“The next four games then we just turned Dwyane loose. At the time, became the greatest player in the world during those two weeks. He was incredible. 35 [points] a game, averaging 18-19 free throws a game. God bless you Mark Cuban, God bless you I know he was upset with the officiating, but Dwyane earned that.”

Amid his praise for Wade, Riley broke down the Hall-of-Famer’s historic Finals performance. Wade set the NBA record for the most free throws made per game in the Finals at 12.5 makes. In addition, he ranks second all-time in free throws attempted with 16.2 attempts, behind only Shaquille O’Neal.

This was only Wade’s third season in the league but he played above his years. His elite play turned the city of Miami into a city of champions.

Wade became a superstar in the 2006 NBA Finals

Wade sent a statement to the rest of the NBA with his performance in the 2006 NBA Finals. It wasn’t a surprise he was one of the rising young stars in the league. However, his dominance solidified him as a proven superstar.

The 13-time All-Star averaged 34.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists against the Mavericks in that Finals series. Specifically in those four straight wins, Wade averaged an absurd 39.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game. Dallas simply had no answer to slow down ‘The Flash’ and paid the consequence for it.

His efforts earned him the Finals MVP, which is the only time in his career he has won the award. In 2012 and 2013, Wade helped contribute two more championships for the Heat. As a result, his name will be forever immortalized in Heat history.