Miami Heat will need Dwyane Wade’s best on the road

The explanation from Dwyane Wade made perfect sense.

His numbers through the first two games of the series against Philadelphia — 15.5 points per game on 42 percent shooting — were a result of the Sixers’ defensive game plan. He did, after all, average better than 30 points against Philly in the regular season, so it stands to reason that Doug Collins would make every effort to slow him down.

Here was the problem with that concept:

Regardless of which member of the Big 3 that Philly singled out as a top priority, the Heat was going to need Wade to produce his usual playoff-type numbers.

It sounds rather simplistic to say that Dwyane Wade needs to score for the Heat to win games. But it’s not always true. The Heat can and has won with Wade having poor shooting games this season, and Miami won two games to start this series without Wade at his best.

What is true, though, is that if the Heat is going to get through the playoffs with a handful of road wins — and what team can march through the playoffs without a few of those? — Dwyane Wade needs to be at or near his best in just about every one of those games. For most of this season, LeBron James has been the savior on the road. But that tune changes in the playoffs. The Heat can’t afford to wait for James to get hot from the perimeter, which is what most of his huge scoring road games have been built on.

Miami needs Wade’s consistent pressure, his ability to collapse the defense regularly, his uncanny ability to finish in traffic and his unique talent for slithering through the tiniest of cracks for anything from a simple layup to an impressive offensive rebound. The Heat got that Thursday. All of that.

And, surprising as it might have been given the one-sidedness of Monday’s Game 2 win, the Heat needed exactly that from Wade to escape with a 100-94 victory in Game 3. Wade offered up quite the scare when, after a first-quarter turnover, he winced in pain, grabbed at his surgically repaired left shoulder and looked at it to make sure nothing appeared out of place.

But once he shook that off, he put the fear back in Philly fans’ hearts.

In the second quarter, when the Sixers threatened to distance themselves from Miami, it was Wade who reeled Philadelphia back in with 12 points in the period, including a sick three-point play that included a reverse layup and a quick word for the crowd just before the half ended.

“Dwyane is so mature as a player,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “[Thursday night] was different. He understood we needed something a little bit more.”

It wasn’t just the obvious plays, either, even though there were more than a few of those.

Wade simply has an understanding of what it takes to succeed in this setting.

Example: In a tight third quarter, Wade hit Joel Anthony with a no-look pass. Then, understanding Anthony’s hands and finishing skills are… umm… let’s call them questionable, Wade was in position to slam home the offensive rebound on the opposite side of the rim. Tie game, 68-68.

“All of those things were relief points when we started to struggle with our execution,” Spoelstra added.

Look, LeBron James can stumble upon an impressive stat line no matter where he plays or what the setting.

Heck, he stumbled into a gorgeous play Thursday night.

With 4:33 left in the third and the Heat trailing by six, James tried a crazy behind-the-back dribble on the break, only to stagger as he tried to get to the rim. On his way to the floor, though, he shoveled a laser right-handed pass to Wade for a two-handed dunk.

But it was a relentless Wade who officially quieted the Sixers crowd.

“I think Dwyane Wade can get a good shot any time he wants to,” Collins said.

Wade also had a few more of those “relief points” in him down the stretch to seal the win.

Mario Chalmers airballs a three? Wade’s there for the putback.

All the attention’s on Wade as he drives? He finds Anthony for an easy layup. That’s an easy layup for Anthony, which means something.

LeBron misses a three? Wade’s there for a one-handed putback that might have been the official Sixer spirit-breaker. The Heat doesn’t need Wade to be at his best to beat the Sixers in this series. Philadelphia is a team with a massive superstar void, which means the Heat, and its surplus of stars, can coast to a series win in five or six games without the Finals MVP-version of Wade.

But in future series, it’ll take this Wade for Miami to advance. Nights like this one — 32 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists — might have to become commonplace if the Heat is going to roll into other buildings and exit with a win. Thursday night’s performance was a healthy reminder that he’s still more than capable — no matter what the opposition’s game plan is.