Now that Miami Heat have won their second consecutive championship to conclude the 2012-’13 NBA season, Dwyane Wade can finally sit back, relax and enjoy some time with his loved ones.
He has also spent some time figuring out how Instagram’s new video capabilities work…
When u get caught lying… http://t.co/XPsl7SgbLb
— THREE (@DwyaneWade) June 24, 2013
One thing Wade does not have to worry about any more is his troublesome knee that slowed him down for the majority of the postseason. Wade averaged just 15.9 points per game — a playoff career low — and was held largely ineffective in many games.
Wade did however come through in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, miraculously scoring 23 points to go along with 10 rebounds. It was a strange sighting to say the least, as Wade seemed completely hobbled by his knee just one game before.
The answer to the mystery question came today, and according to the Associated Press, Wade has his knee drained before Game 7, similar to when he was struggling in the 2012 playoffs and had it drained in the conference semis against the Indiana Pacers.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Wade revealed Saturday that his right knee pained him so much that he contemplated asking to play limited minutes in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals, and that his left knee was drained and required about eight hours of game-day therapy just so he could play in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
Wade also received platelet-rich plasma therapy late in the regular season to combat three bone bruises around his right knee, which was his biggest source of frustration and pain during the playoffs. Wade said two of the bruises healed, but a third — directly under the kneecap — remained a big problem, especially since that area was also affected by tendinitis.
“Selfishly, I’m going to say we won this one for me,” Wade said. “Because of the way my career has gone and the things I’ve dealt with personally, I wanted this third one. In my mind, it validates the player I’ve become in this league. When you change your position, going from being talked about as one of the three best players in this game to people questioning your ability, I needed this one to validate that what I did was the right thing. I can be at peace with anything going forward.”
Ben Baroff is a basketball journalist who blogs for SheridanHoops.com. Follow him on Twitter here.