Lost in the hysteria that represented the end of the Miami Heat’s Game 1 win over the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday was an injury that future Hall of Fame guard Dwyane Wade suffered.
Wade went down in a heap late in the game after a knee-on-knee collision with a Raptors player, eventually finding himself down on the for an extended period of time.
While he did return to help Miami overcome a late-game Raptors comeback attempt, there has to be some concern over Wade moving forward:
Dwyane Wade on his knee: "I hit the bone, and I'm sure it's bruised. I will be fine. I've played w/ it before, so I will do it again."
— Ethan J. Skolnick, 5 Reasons Sports (@EthanJSkolnick) May 4, 2016
Wade may be publicly indicating that he will be fine, but it really does depend on how his 34-year-old knee holds up.
Remember, Wade suffered a bone bruise in his knee during the 2012-13 season, eventually re-aggravating it during the playoffs.
Miami would eventually take the Finals that June in seven games against the San Antonio Spurs, but Wade’s physical limitations were obvious.
Unlike that year’s version of the Heat, this squad simply doesn’t have the firepower to overcome any major injury issues to its best players. That’s only magnified with Chris Bosh still laid up.
Miami leads its best-of-seven Eastern Conference Semifinal series against Toronto 1-0. If it is able to come out on top here, there’s a good chance Wade will take on former teammate and best bud LeBron James in the conference finals.