Dwyane Wade, Heat embrace a truly 'regular' season
WASHINGTON — For Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat, hovering at 9-8 in 2014-15 is nothing like being 9-8 in 2010-11, that first season Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh teamed up.
"It's like a regular basketball season," Wade told Paste BN Sports about this season, with James now playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
So, the last four seasons, which resulted in four NBA Finals appearances and two championships, weren't regular?
"Not regular at all. They were irregular," Wade said, chuckling. "This is a regular season. It's exactly what it is, for real."
The Heat have re-discovered normalcy but are still searching for the consistency to produce more victories than they have now, even with Wade, Bosh, Mario Chalmers, Norris Cole, Chris Andersen and Udonis Haslem — holdovers from title teams.
The Heat also added Luol Deng, Josh McRoberts and Danny Granger in free agency and drafted Shabazz Napier, and similar to other teams in Eastern Conference, it's a re-tooled team. Most contenders in the East made significant additions and/or subtractions (with the exception of the Toronto Raptors), so it's not a surprise the Raptors lead the conference.
Teams such as the Cavaliers, Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards and Heat are working in new players and the results have been up and down, especially for the Heat and Cavaliers.
"It's still a team that's trying to figure it out. We're sure at times and unsure at other times — in the same game, sometimes," Wade said. "I'd like to say with this team right now, it's guys trying to get to know each other on the floor."
Wade is enjoying this season differently than he did the previous four seasons. "It's the challenge of coming in every day and seeing how you make a difference by leading guys," he said. "We had a lot of Hall of Famers on one team. This is a little different."
Wade also said there comes a time when a team has to acknowledge its limitations.
"At some point, if it continues to happen, this is the team you have," he said. "Hopefully, we can get out of it. Once you get to late December, you figure it out. You know by January. You know if you have another level you can go to as a team. It's just who you are.
"I've been on good teams — not even talking about championship teams — who have gotten so much better as the season went along. We learned we were a good team. We learned how to win games together. That's why I'm positive with this group."
Before the Heat determine what kind of team they have or if they need to make any personnel moves, they want to know exactly what they have. Injuries have prevented that.
Wade just returned from a seven-game absence because of a hamstring injury and looked good against the New York Knicks on Sunday (27 points) and the Wizards on Monday (20 points). He's shooting 53.5% from the field, including 64.5% in the past two games.
"Just trying to get my rhythm back. It's OK. My shot is good," Wade said. "The biggest thing is getting my legs under me. I played with no pain. I feel good."
But like the past seasons, Wade's status will vary frequently, depending on how he feels and after consultation with the training staff.
McRoberts missed training camp as he recovered from an offseason toe surgery and has missed four games this season. Chris Andersen (injured ribs, sprained ankle) has played in just nine games, and Danny Granger (injured hamstring) has played in just two games.
"Having guys in and out of the lineup hurts which we've had early in the year," Wade said.
The bigger issue for the Heat is the commitment and effort on defense. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was not happy the Heat gave up 107 points and allowed the Wizards to shoot 54.2%. Miami is 22nd in defensive efficiency, allowing 105.2 points per 100 possessions.
"We're trying to develop a defensive toughness and commitment to that side of the floor," Spoelstra said.
He explained playing excellent team defense doesn't happen overnight.
"Nobody really wants to work on defense," Spoelstra said. "It's just the nature of it. … Championship-caliber teams commit to the things they don't want to do. You have to work at it. You can't shortcut defense. Talking about it doesn't get you anywhere.
"When you drill it and work on it and build a five-man defense, it requires five guys on a string and that takes time."
Wade added, "We're in a world where everyone wants it to happen now. We all want it to happen now. That's just not the nature of the beast."
Bosh put it in basic terms.
"Just get the job done," he said. "Go out there and D up."
Bosh was critical after the loss to Washington. He said the Heat probably deserved criticism after 17 games but wouldn't give a season grade. "We deserve our record," he said.
But Wade, Bosh and Spoelstra all had varying degrees of optimism.
"Hopefully, we're going to continue to take strides and take it a couple of levels up," Spoelstra said. "We do have some variety and versatility with this team."
