As Close As We May Ever Get

After witnessing Dwayne Wade turn the NBA Finals into his personal playground, I (a Chicago kid) am reminded of another basketball great who turned the NBA Finals into his own personal showcase. Of course, it is Michael Jordan. The comparisons have been flying between numerous players and Jordan every year since he retired (hell, even when he was in the league) players have been called the heir to the throne. It’s been Allen Iverson, it’s been Kobe Bryant, it’s been Vince Carter, it’s been Tracy McGrady, it’s been Carmelo Anthony, it’s been LeBron James, and now it is Dwayne Wade. Out of all of those names, Wade is the closet I have seen to Jordan. The reasons being how laid back and natural the game appears to Wade, how the fourth quarter has become “D-Wade Time” and how he made the NBA Finals his statement to the sports world.

When I watched Michael Jordan play basketball, it seemed like whatever he did on the court was supposed to happen. Only a handful of times did I see him force the action and look out of control (usually this happened when Jordan had a bad game and the Bulls were losing, a combination that was rare to see). Wade is the same way. When I watched Jordan I thought every shot he took was going in; Wade is the only other NBA player I have watched where I thought this same thing.

Both players owned the fourth quarter. I always remember that Jordan would start out slow, and usually wasn’t the Bulls leading scorer at halftime (usually that was Scottie Pippen), but by the time the game was over, Jordan was usually the Bull with the most points next to his name. The second half, namely the fourth quarter, were his. Whenever Jordan had a big first half (say, 20 points) you knew he was going to have a huge game (somewhere between 40 and 60). Wade is very similar. In the finals against Dallas, he routinely made the fourth quarter his own. Making clutch basket after clutch basket, and big free throw after big free throw.

The NBA Finals was both players time to shine. Jordan was in the Finals six times, and won six Finals MVP trophies. Wade has been there once and has one Finals MVP trophy. The moments that Jordan is most remembered for happened in the NBA Finals. The gliding lay-up where he switched hands mid-flight happened against Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers in his first Finals appearance. In his next he gave his famous shrug against the Clyde Drexler and the Portland Trail Blazers after draining six consecutive three pointers. He hit a famous buzzer-beater in Game 1 of his fifth Finals to defeat Karl Malone and the Utah Jazz. And, perhaps the most famous of all, was his “Last Shot” against Malone’s Jazz one year later. An image that has become a great final signature on his career, (many people, myself included, don’t even count those two years he spent with the Washington Wizards) it was the perfect way for him to walk away. Wade does not have that lengthy resume, not yet at least. But he does have a game-winning shot, in overtime, against Dallas in Game 3 of this year’s Finals. Not to mention numerous 30 and 40 point games. Will Wade become what Jordan once was? Probably not. Those are some large shoes to fill, and people always admire the man who came first. But Wade is on the right path. He is the new heir apparent, and he might be as close as we ever get to seeing another 23.