Looking to break out of a shooting funk, Heat guard Dwyane Wade drove to American Airlines Arena on Sunday night for a late-night workout.
Wade shot 41 percent from the field in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals one game after going 8 for 16. He said Monday morning that he “was just trying to work on some kinks in my offensively flow — just trying to work on things I normally get in a game.”
Late-night workouts are common among NBA players. Many view them as a necessary practice sessions. Heat forward LeBron James said he worked out until 4 a.m. before Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Kobe Bryant, Derrick Rose, Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Durant put in extra work at night long after team practices have been completed.
While Nowitzki was crushing the hearts of thousands in Oklahoma City on Sunday night, Wade was in AmericanAirlines Arena running through one of his exhaustive shooting workouts. Wade said he left his house while Oklahoma City still had a 15-point lead on Dallas. He was shocked to see the score after his drill work was completed. The Mavericks defeated the Thunder in overtime.
“I was like, ‘What?’ ” Wade said after seeing the score. “So, I was here long enough to see a total different outcome of the game when I got off the court.”
Wade has put in late-night work during each round of the playoffs. He emphasized that he wasn’t frustrated with his offensive game but only because the Heat had a 2-1 series lead against the Bulls going into Tuesday night’s game. His feelings would be different under other circumstances, he said.
“I don’t have to be frustrated with my offensive game because I have a team, I have help,” Wade said. “So, [if] you [asked] me this last year, yes, I would have been frustrated at this point. But now I’m just trying to do what I can to make sure this team wins.”
West reaction
Wade wasn’t the only Heat player shocked by Sunday night’s outcome between the Mavericks and Thunder. James and Udonis Haslem said they felt badly for the Thunder, considering the way the team blew such a large lead on its home court.
“I wouldn’t have never thought Dallas would have been able to come back,” Haslem said. “I almost felt bad for Oklahoma City, but Dirk was unbelievable. But it just goes to show you that it’s a 48-minute game and you got to play until the last buzzer.”
James shared Haslem’s disbelief but also questioned the Thunder’s late-game execution.
“I think it’s unfortunate for [Oklahoma City] to be up 15 on their home floor with less than five minutes to go to lose that game in overtime,” James said. “I don’t want to sit here and be the coach of [the Thunder,] but [I’ve] seen a lot of things that could have been done better.”
Jones hurting
Spoelstra said Tuesday that forward James Jones was “dealing with some toe and foot issues,” but indicated that wasn’t the reason why he isn’t playing. With Haslem and Mike Miller back in the fold, the Heat has gone to an eight-man rotation and Jones is the odd man out.
“Right now, it’s circumstantial with who we’re playing more than anything,” Spoelstra said.
Essentially, Spoelstra has chosen Miller’s defense over Jones’ shooting. But Spoelstra said his rotation could change.
