It wasn’t enough, apparently, for Wade to spend Sunday night partying with famous friends like Usher and Common.
It wasn’t enough to get that unexpected weekend visit from his 91-year-old grandmother, Willie Mae Morris, who flew in from Chicago for the big occasion.
Wade, still nursing that badly sprained right ankle, reported to his workplace Tuesday night and enjoyed a command performance by his Heat teammates.
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You might even call it a surprise party of sorts.
After spending the first half hiding behind the figurative couch, the Heat jumped out with a scary-good third quarter and nearly sent the Spurs into cardiac arrest.
At the very least, this 120-98 runaway should go a long way toward extending Wade’s rest period after a rough-and-tumble start to this shortened season.
No timetable for Wade’s return?
No problem.
“Obviously, we want to be full strength and have our guys in our rotation,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said earlier Tuesday. “I don’t think that’s realistic for many teams right now, so you look for the silver linings.
You mean like those six 3-pointers Mike Miller pumped in for his season debut?
Or that 23-1 run in the third quarter after the Heat dug a 17-point hole?
Or that 4:1 assist:turnover ratio for Mario Chalmers as he played without Wade next to him for the fourth time this season?
The Heat, by the way, is now 4-0 in those Wade-less games, but let’s not make too much of that, OK?
Everybody knows the Heat absolutely must have a healthy Wade if they want to get back to the NBA Finals.
He means too much at both ends of the floor.
“Everybody understands his impact,” Spoelstra said. “Guys understand we’ll be losing a big part of our offense, but also his activity defensively. He’s been making lot of plays for us — the blocks, the deflections, the steals.”
With Wade sporting a three-piece suit instead of swooping in to clean up his teammates’ mistakes, the Heat gave up 30 first-half points in the paint.
“He’s so active on the back line of our defense when he’s there protecting the rim,” Spoelstra said.
