The narrative for the entirety of the NBA playoffs this season has revolved strongly around LeBron James' crusade to finally break through and win a title. After all, simple math dictates that before you can win two, three, four, five, six, seven titles, you have to win the first one.
Who would have known that the biggest obstacle standing in the way of James wouldn't necessarily be his tendency to wilt when the heat gets turned up, but rather his All-Star teammate Dwyane Wade?
James is no longer the Robin to Wade's Batman. James is the best basketball player in the world, and he's finally starting to play like it when the lights shine the brightest. James is the leading man now, and it sure looks and sounds as if Wade has had no problem deferring the role of "The Man" to his younger, more talented sidekick.
However, no matter how good James is in any game at any time of the year, he can only do so much. Sure, he'll singlehandedly win a game here and there — Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals will forever live in the Lebron James canon — but he can't do it all himself.
This Heat team was built primarily on the premise that James and Wade, along with Chris Bosh, would be more than enough to steamroll to multiple titles. Operating under that assumption, as well as trying to navigate around the NBA salary cap with three superstars on the roster, may not be the best idea in hindsight. When a player like Wade doesn't perform to his abilities (and/or a player like Bosh is hurt for much of the playoffs), it's not going to be easy to win a ring.
The Heat found that out the hard way on Tuesday night in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Miami looked good enough for a half, but even after jumping out to an early lead, you could see it coming, especially as the Thunder cut the Heat's lead late in the second quarter.
In the second half, especially the fourth quarter, the Thunder used an undeniable advantage in athleticism to cripple the Heat. Before Kevin Durant took over in the fourth quarter, though, it was Wade who played a key roll in helping the Heat let it slip away. Wade was just 1-for-6 from the floor in the third quarter while also committing a pair of fouls. He wasn't much better in the fourth quarter. While he did score seven points in the final period, he also committed a pair of turnovers. In fairness to Wade, the Heat will need James to be even better in the fourth quarter as well.
All the while, Durant and Russell Westbrook took advantage of any and all slip-ups, putting on a seminar in dominating a second half. They combined for for 41 of the Thunder's 58 points in the second half. In the third quarter, it was Westbrook who dominated with 12 points before Durant spent the fourth quarter throwing daggers en route to 17 points.
The Thunder saved their best for last and, in the process, showed the Heat how potent their own dynamic duo could be. It provided an obvious juxtaposition between the two teams' two best players and where they are right now. Durant and Westbrook are uber-athletic scorers who embrace the moment and thrive on the pressure. Two years into this superteam experiment, we're still not sure where the Heat are, though.
But it's becoming increasingly clear that Wade has been one of the anchors holding down James in his attempt to prove the naysayers wrong.
This isn't a knee-jerk reaction to Game 1, either. Wade has been something of an anchor all postseason long. Wade is in the midst of arguably the worst spring of his career. Wade may be playing injured, in which case his play would be at least somewhat justified. If he is hurt, though, he's doing a damn good job of hiding it.
Perhaps even more disturbing are the outward displays of emotion. He's complaining more than he ever has, and looks borderline whiney at times. Take a look at the face of LeBron James in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Then look at the face of Dwyane Wade in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. You'll see a very, very noticable difference.
Save for Game 6 of the second round against Indiana, we have yet to see Wade dominate a game the way he has in the past. At some point in these NBA Finals, he's going to need to do so if the Heat are going to break through and silence the critics.
Not even James can beat a team that's as loaded as the Thunder all by himself. Until he gets the help he needs from Wade, we're left in the very unfamiliar position of being able to make an excuse for James' team coming up short on the game's grandest stage.
Sports can be really weird sometimes.
