Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade remembered some of his early playoff success with the franchise on Instagram.
A post was shared that was a throwback for the NBA playoffs in 2006 when Wade scored 30 points, had 11 assists and added two blocks against the Chicago Bulls.
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That season, Wade won his first title over the Dallas Mavericks, leading the Heat to a 4-2 series victory.
The Hall of Fame guard posted on his Instagram story to share how he forgot just how great a player he was early in his career.
There’s no doubt that Wade was a great playoff performer, as he played in five NBA Finals during his NBA career, winning three titles with the Heat. The first title came in 2006, and Wade had 36 points in that deciding Game 6 against Dallas.
The 13-time All-Star won the Finals MVP award in that series, averaging 34.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game in the six contests in the series.
Wade was a menace on the offensive end, getting to the free-throw line at will in the 2006 NBA Finals. The Heat star attempted 97 free throws in the series, making 75 of them. In Game 5 alone, Wade was 21-for-25 from the free-throw line.
The only game he didn’t attempt double-digit free throws came in Game 4 when he went 8-for-9 from the charity stripe. That series is one of the best of Wade’s playoff career.
Later on in his Miami tenure, Wade teamed up with LeBron James and Chris Bosh to form a Big 3 with the Heat. The team made four straight NBA Finals during that era, winning two of them. While James won both Finals MVP awards in Miami’s victories, there’s no doubt that Wade had a massive impact on those playoff runs.
In his storied NBA career, Wade averaged 22.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game while shooting 48.0 percent from the field. He won a scoring title in the 2008-09 season and was an All-NBA selection eight times in his career.
It’s cool to see Wade look back and give himself credit for how great he was early in his Miami tenure. The Heat certainly are grateful for his play in the 2006 playoffs, and it all started with that 30-point showing against the Bulls.
