National Basketball Association

Vintage Dwyane Wade makes early appearance to keep Heat's record unblemished

Published Nov. 2, 2014 10:46 p.m. ET

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MIAMI -- It was the defining moment of the night.

With the Toronto Raptors closing in on the Miami Heat and within striking distance halfway through the fourth quarter after being behind for virtually the entire game, star guard Dwyane Wade twice leaped above everyone else to secure two offensive rebounds on the same possession.

"I've never seen him do that before," Chris Bosh said. "That was awesome."

Instead of the Raptors having the opportunity to cut the lead to one possession, Wade's extra push resulted in two free throws for Mario Chalmers. For Wade, it was part of a night where he filled up the box score with 19 points, 11 rebounds (four on the offensive glass), seven assists and two blocks. As Chalmers was about to take his free throws, Wade raised his arms in an impromptu gesture to the crowd to motivate them to rise up and cheer on a Heat team determined to shape their own destiny.

"Our fans have been great," Wade said. "That was a big moment for us. They were making a run. Just to pull down the offensive rebound like a big guy, I felt good and I wanted the crowd to get into it and they did, so it was great."

Whether it was finding a cutting Luol Deng on the way to the rim on two plays or blocking Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas twice, Wade did everything in his power on the second night of a back-to-back to help the Heat secure the victory.

"We're going to go day-to-day, but we're able to keep his minutes manageable and he felt great," coach Erik Spoelstra said. "I think he looked even quicker tonight then he did last night, and it sustained all the way to the end. But he's been doing this for the last month so he's been putting in a lot of time. So we'll just continue to monitor him and he's been putting in the work and it's been paying off so far."

Has it ever. When asked how Wade was able to block the 7-foot Valanciunas twice, Spoelstra spread his arms out to mimic Wade's wingspan and smiled.

"It's instinctual and it's courage," he said. "You obviously have to have the aesthetics. He has great aesthetics and timing and instincts and unbelievable courage to go up there and try to block."

Wade's double-digit rebounding effort was unexpected but needed with the Heat missing Chris Andersen, Udonis Haslem and Danny Granger due to injury.

"I knew we were down Bird and I knew that we needed a little help down there," Wade said.

His vintage performance recalled his college days with Marquette, where he recorded a triple-double during the 2003 NCAA tournament against the Kentucky Wildcats to propel his team to the Final Four. With the Heat needing a special night from Wade to persevere against the surging Raptors, his coach knew he always had it in him to be more than a scorer.

"We noticed it when we were doing our analysis of him in Marquette," Spoelstra said. "It was hard not to notice all the plays that he would make, especially in those competitive tournament games. It was either a steal or a block, not just necessarily the scoring. He was a different kind of player. He was a guy that would stuff the stat sheet and he was doing it in the biggest moments."

When it all comes together and the offense is clicking like it has to start the season, positive results are sure to come the Heat's way and the 3-0 record is a clear indicator of their success.

"Our offensive design is to run different things," Wade said. "I think coach has done a good job of putting myself and CB in positions that's not just one look, whether it's a pick and roll or whether it's in the post. My teammates did a good job of looking for me as well. Obviously I wanted to get off to a good start but I took the shots that were there."

You can follow Surya Fernandez on Twitter @SuryaHeatNBA or email him at SuryaFoxSports@gmail.com.

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