There’s something about having the two best basketball players in the universe facing off on the same court. The 1970s had Dr. J and George Gervin, the ΄80s Magic and Bird, and the ΄90s gave us Jordan and, well, everyone else. The present day NBA is filled with great players and rivalries. But none is fiercer than the friendly enmity between the Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade and the Cleveland Cavalier’s LeBron James. While they’re good friends off the court, D-Wade and LeBron are out for each other’s blood on it. And that can only mean awesomeness for us fans.

In their first meeting this season, LeBron dropped 33 points to Wade’s 29 as he led Cleveland to the 93-86 home win. Just two days later, here in Miami, Wade spoiled LeBron’s 38-point effort as well as his 24th birthday, with a 104-95 beat down. Both contests went down to the wire with Wade and LeBron displaying their superhuman lane slicing dunks, reverse layups, ice-water-in-veins jump shots and gravity defying leaps into the stands for loose balls.

Tonight it would be best if all the other players just got the hell out of the way and let D-Wade and LeBron do their thing. Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m. at the American Airlines Arena, located at 610 Biscayne Blvd. in Miami. Tickets range from $10 to $350, and can be purchased at nba.com/heat.
Mon., March 2, 7:30 p.m., 2009