As the clock struck zero last night, alas, Dwyane Wade was not a hero. Judging by the expression on his face right after his three-pointer bounced off the rim to end the 93-90 loss to Detroit, D-Wade knew he let a close one get away (or a piece of ice just slipped into an uncomfortable crevice).
But whatev. It's cool. This can be forgiven. Wade has led the Heat back into the playoff picture this year and placed himself on the short list of MVP candidates. And with the recent talk of Wade possibly going to New York in 2010 to play with LeBron, South Florida should be understanding about a few unsuccessful valiant efforts -- the way a husband should smile, nod, and swallow when his wife has slaved for hours over something he isn't sure is food.
Besides, by the time he walked off the court, Wade was all smiles. He told reporters he was cool with the way things turned out: "That was one of the best games I've been in this year," Wade said. "It led to a loss, but we fought against a team we're going to be battling all season."
And if Wade was happy with a loss, imagine the mixed emotions he had when he heard UM throttled a Wake Forest team that beat number-one-ranked Duke a week ago.
