Not only did the Heat get the W at American Airlines Arena, but the team also walked away with encouraging signs for the postseason. Hang on to your pants, Heat fans: D-Wade is finally clicking at exactly the right time.
Last night's win featured a vintage, grown-ass-man 18 points and 13 rebounds from Udonis Haslem, but the eye-opening, jaw-dropping work came from a 40-point, six-rebound, four-assist Dwyane Wade explosion. The Heat gave itself a much-needed cushion heading into a rough patch of the team's schedule and gave fans a reason to believe something special could still happen in 2015.
In a season filled with so much adversity, watching Haslem and Wade carry the Heat on nights like Sunday has been one of the few positives to come out of a tough year. Sunday could have been a taped game from 2006 — the Miami co-captain duo was that good in the win.
With Luol Deng leaving the game at halftime, Hassan Whiteside out yet again nursing his stitched-up finger, Birdman sidelined, and Beasley out early, the Heat had to make due once again.
Detroit piled up an early lead as the Heat struggled to keep five guys on the court, but Wade signaled this could be a vintage D-Wade performance late in the first quarter, with the heat already down 17-9. That's when he raced downcourt, caught a Hail Mary lob, and threw down a dunk:
The win pushes the Heat to 1.5 games ahead of the Brooklyn Nets, for the seventh spot in the East, and two full games ahead of the ninth-place Boston Celtics. The Heat also moved to just two games behind the Milwaukee Bucks, who sit in the sixth seed. With just nine games remaining, the mix-and-match Heat lineups have proven just enough to hold onto a playoff seed.
And now for a little "Seven Nation Army" dog to celebrate.
HEAT WIN!!!! https://t.co/tAWUI97Ge8
— Mike Ryan (@MichaelRyanRuiz) March 30, 2015