MIAMI -- Four minutes into the
Heat preseason, he was joined on
the floor by Mike Miller, Joel
Anthony, Carlos Arroyo and Chris
Bosh, and at that point, surely you
wondered: Didn't LeBron James
leave a better team in Cleveland?
Dwyane Wade by then was
already in the locker room, icing a
strained right hamstring, which
completely changed the tenor of
the special, much-anticipated night.
This was no longer qualified as a
sneak peak. This was a sneak
tweak.
"LeBron told me he didn't come
here to see me sit on the side,"
Wade said.
American Airlines Arena was still
foggy with resin tossed by LeBron
from his pregame ritual when
Wade pulled up and limped off
against the Pistons. And just like
that, instead of getting a first feel
for how powerful the Heat might
be this season, we discovered how
vulnerable they can be.
They can't afford an injury to
LeBron or Wade or Bosh. This team
is top heavy. There is no "picking
up the slack" or having someone
"step up" should any of the Big
Three be confined to a tailored suit
and a seat at the end of the bench.
You suppose the Celtics or Magic or
Lakers would shiver in their hi-tops
at the sight of a Big-Two-And-A-
Third? No.
"We don't want to be in a situation
a lot where one of our guys go
down," conceded LeBron.
There's relief in Miami today
because Wade's injury isn't serious,
and besides, he has three weeks to
heal. Plus, even though tender
hamstrings can be tricky and tend
to linger, Wade sent a reassuring
message to Miami fans and a
warning to the league.
"They'll have a lot of time to see
the Big Three," he said.
Until then, they'll see plenty of
LeBron taking control and making
the Heat his team; essentially,
doing what he did in Cleveland for
the last seven years. Any notion of
LeBron, flanked by a pair of All-
Stars, suddenly turning into a
facilitator was erased from the
opening tip, when he drove hard to
the basket the first time he
touched the ball. That was a
constant sight against the Pistons,
and LeBron said get used to it,
even when Wade returns.
"I'm never in a defer mentality,"
he said. "I'm in attack mode. No
matter how many weapons we
have on the court, I'm still going to
play my game."
LeBron and Bosh have so far
avoided any kind of sustained
injury in their careers but the same
can't be said about Wade. Three
times in his seven seasons he's
dealt with some serious injury; a
shoulder, a knee, a calf and a wrist
among the brittle body parts. That
doesn't mean Wade is injury-prone.
It does mean he's hardly invincible,
no matter how much more swollen
his biceps are this season.
"I'm not stranger to minor
setbacks," joked Wade. "I'm a
professional in that regard."
Stuck in the trainer's room for all
but three minutes of the game,
Wade had a flat-screen view of
what took place without him. And
although he wasn't too thrilled with
how he felt, he was encouraged by
what he saw.
"You saw what LeBron can do with
his playmaking ability and his
ability to attack the basket," Wade
said. "And Chris' ability to make
one-on-one plays, and he can be a
force on the glass as well."
Given the summer he just went
through, marked by a big decision
and a swarm of criticism for the
way he did it, LeBron wanted the
emotional release that only a
basketball game can provide. He
tore through the Pistons for layups,
hit jumpers, and at times was a blur
during an 18-point, 26-minute
effort. In the words of Heat
assistant coach Bob McAdoo, "he'll
be a one-man fast break if you
don't run with him."
Just the same, Bosh weaved his
way inside for 20 points, a good
bit of them on feeds from
LeBron.
"It feels good to have guys who
have the capabilities they have,"
Wade said.
Until Wade felt a twinge, the night
was a coming-out of sorts. Minutes
before tipoff, the Heat were shown
on the overhead scoreboard
gathering in the hallway leading to
the entrance to the floor, and that
drew a big crowd response. The Big
Three heard, felt and saw a
standing O in the introductions.
LeBron tossed his powder in the air.
Wade raised both arms and
pointed, his traditional pregame
greeting. The announced crowd was
a sellout at 19,600, although the
actual crowd was smaller than that.
Then the game began. Bosh stole a
pass. Wade hit a jumper. LeBron hit
a jumper. And then, Wade to the
locker room.
Is this minor injury destined to
precede something else, something
bigger down the road? Meaning: Is
this an omen? If Year One becomes
known more for surgery than
champagne, then we'll all revisit
the bitter words of Dan Gilbert, the
Cavaliers' owner who predicted as
much last July.
"The good news is that this
heartless and callous action can
only serve as the antidote to the
so-called Curse on Cleveland, Ohio,"
wrote Gilbert, moments after the
Cavs drew the short straw in The
Decision. "The self-declared former
King will be taking the `curse' with
him down south. And until he does
right by Cleveland and Ohio, James
[and the town where he plays] will
unfortunately own this dreaded
spell and bad karma. Just watch."
Oh, we'll watch. Count on that,
considering how much interest
followed a meaningless preseason
game, which fizzled faster than
expected.
"When I told fans at the Dolphins
game to get here early," said
Wade, "I didn't think they had to
be here this early, to see me three
minutes.
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