Wade practices in full for Heat
Before Dwyane Wade even sat down for a post-practice news conference Monday, he offered a pre-emptive strike.
''I'm not hurt,'' he said.
And that was news Miami Heat fans wanted to hear on the eve of the NBA finals against the Dallas Mavericks.
Wade, Udonis Haslem, Mike Miller and James Jones were all back in practice Monday, one day after being held out of contact drills for precautionary reasons. Everyone fully participated in the workout, which coach Erik Spoelstra said he had to cut a bit short because of how physical things were getting in the practice, during which the Heat had players in knee pads and mouthguards.
''Guys were hitting a little too hard,'' Spoelstra said. ''A little bit too amped up.''
The Heat host Game 1 of the finals Tuesday night.
Wade has heard many questions about his health in recent days, dismissing them all, though his numbers in the Eastern Conference finals - he never shot over 50 percent in any of those five games and was getting treatment on his surgically repaired left shoulder as the series wore on - sparked speculation that something was wrong.
Wade has insisted there's no major issue, saying instead that no one is fully healthy at this point in the season. Like Spoelstra, Wade said Monday's practice was of the high-energy variety.
''Needless to say, this is one of the most anticipated practices for us all since training camp ... because this is the opportunity - this is the time where not a lot of people on our team have been,'' Wade said. ''Not a lot of guys have been to the finals.''
Wade said he wasn't shying away from contact in the session, either.
''I was mixing it up,'' Wade said.