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Heat-Pacers is where it all began for Dwyane Wade
MIAMI – It was the last time Dwyane Wade considered himself just a basketball player.
This was before the GQ magazine photo shoots, before a “W,” for many fans, replaced the “D” in Dade County, before he became known as D-Wade.
Wade at the time was just someone with an obscure spelling of his first name, a rookie playing in his second playoff series with the Miami Heat.
Little did he know it would spawn the above accolades when in 2004 he helped an up-and-coming Heat team put a scare into the top-seeded Indiana Pacers.
The roles are now reversed for the teams, but Wade once again meets the Pacers on Sunday in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, and could not help but reminisce about where it all began.
“It was no expectations then,” Wade said.
“The Pacers were a team at the time competing for a championship. For us, we got out of the first round. It was just about trying to make some noise, trying to make a name for ourselves. Really, it was the last time I had no expectations as a player. It was fun, I enjoyed it.”
The Pacers won the series 4-2, but not before Wade introduced himself to the league.
In actuality, Wade arrived a week before. He took it to another level when the spotlight shined the brightest. The Heat that year in the first round played the New Orleans Hornets.
In Game 1, Wade caught the eye of coach Erik Spoelstra, at the time one of Stan Van Gundy’s assistants.
“He probably changed after the New Orleans win,” Spoelstra said. “It was a big moment. Rookie. The first time that Stan had put the ball in his hands to make a play.”
By Shandel Richardson, Sun Sentinel
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