Dwyane Wade
Dwyane Wade
Dwyane Tyrone Wade Jr.is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association. He has established himself as one of the most well-known and popular players in the league. Wade had the top selling jersey in the NBA for nearly two years, leading the league in jersey sales from the 2005 NBA Playoffs, until the midpoint of the 2006–07 season. His first name is pronounced the same as the more common spellings "Dwayne" and "Duane"...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionAthlete
Date of Birth17 January 1982
CountryUnited States of America
The playoffs are a different mindset and a different season. Our main goal is to go in healthy and we'll be alright.
We can't say, 'We're not playing the best teams in the league, so we can relax.' Not at all. It's the NBA, so we have to focus on getting better, so we can be as good as we're going to get by the time the playoffs come.
Having five days off helped me come out with a lot of energy. It is tough to be able to play games like this, down to the end. This is what you need come playoff time.
Everybody knows Shaq and everybody knows that Shaq always says that when the playoffs come, he'll be there. So we weren't really worried. We knew after he missed 18 games that it was going to take him awhile to get back. But I think right now is the right time for this team, that around the break time, he has a chance to get back in shape and get his form back.
The key is being healthy and not worrying about the individual stuff. I had some good shots but I just missed them. The playoffs will be a whole different story. We'll be ready.
It's no secret that the Bulls have no one to guard him down low, so he can dominate the game that way. Also, he's in great shape. He's really in playoff mode and we want him to be. We want him to lead this team.
I think it's what he wants. He knows he's an important option on offense and knows what we expect. I'm sure he doesn't think we've been harsh about it.
Just get it back to Miami. Out in Chicago I never play good. I have a long career ahead of me, so one day I will get one good game in.
Last year, he just lost weight. And I think at the end of the year that kind of took a toll on him because he didn't have that strength that he used to, to fall back on. ... Shaq is motivated to do something better and help the team.
You all (the media) might have made him mad. I think you all lit a fire under him. He's been playing well the last couple of games. He continued to do it today.
We had a long talk (Monday) about a lot of different things. I know for this team to go to the next level I have to make plays for others.
Our continuity is still good. Of course, there was a little rust and we had a lot of anxiousness. But guys played with a lot of energy.
Maybe I got hurt for a reason - to bring these guys here and we all celebrate together over on Biscayne Bay one day,
I was like, 'Hey, Carmelo Anthony should be playing too.' . . . I think I could have helped.