Dwyane Wade's 5 Best Games as Member of Miami Heat

For a man riding a career average of 22.5 points per game and 5.5 assists per game, D Wade has always been regarded as the most underrated scoring point guard in the league. His offensive prowess meshed with the lethal defensive skillset made him of the most feared two-way guards across the league.

Dwyane Wade has announced he's coming back for "One Last Dance" with the Miami Heat in the upcoming season. He has been the face of the franchise for too long a period to forget.

He brought the organisation its first NBA title, and he pretty much did that single-handedly despite having Shaq by his side. A 12-time NBA All-Star and 3-time NBA Champion, Wade has cemented his legacy as the best to ever don a Heat jersey.

Throughout his 14 seasons with Miami, he gave us highlight reels to cherish for a lifetime. I have tried to compile the best five amongst the heap that very well define MV3's resolve and will.

While going through the following slides, you might find some of your favourite plays missing, so don't take it to heart. This is my personal collection of the moments I found the most impactful, just like you could have your own.

So, let's get to it.

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#5 April 12, 2009: Miami Heat vs New York Knicks

Wade was flat-out unstoppable in the game.

Stat line: 55 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 block

Dwyane Wade's most dominating offensive showing came against the New York Knicks.

With playoff positioning on the line, Wade drilled the Knicks for a career-high 55 points, while shooting 19-for-30 from the field, 6-of-12 from three-point range and 11-for-13 from the line.

Wade started quickly and had 27 at halftime. He had 50 points after three quarters, which, incredibly, was three points more than the rest of his teammates had scored combined.

There has always been little doubt over the fact that if coach Erik Spoelstra wouldn't have pulled him out with 1:06 left in the game, Wade would have set Miami’s franchise record for points in a game(Glenn Rice, 56 points).

“Actually, I wasn’t aware of it, really didn’t care for it,” Wade said of the record. “This was about clinching a playoff berth tonight.”

#4 March 14, 2009: Miami Heat vs Utah Jazz

This performance came during Wade’s peak as a scorer.

Stat line: 50 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks

Wade did it all in this triple-overtime thriller against the Utah Jazz in 2009.

He finished with a game-high 50 points in 52 minutes, tying his season-high with 19-of-39 shooting from the field, including 4-for-11 from 3-point range, and 8-of-9 from the free-throw line. His 39 attempts were the most shots attempted in an NBA game that season.

D-Wade scored 14 of his 50 after regulation, including six straight for Miami at the end of the second overtime and took his stack up to 9,489 points with the franchise, passing fellow Heat legend Alonzo Mourning for the franchise’s most career points.

He would go on to win the NBA’s scoring championship at this end of this season with a 30.2 point-per-game average.

"Just another day at the office,'' is how he referred to this inhuman performance on the basketball court.

#3 Game 6: 2006 Finals vs Dallas Mavericks

Wade's scintillating performance in this series got him his first NBA title.

Stat line: 36 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists, 4 steals and 3 blocks

Facing a win-or-go-home scenario in Game 6 of the 2006 NBA Finals, Wade left little doubt he was among the game’s very best.

He shot 10-of-18 from the field and converted 16-of-21 free throws in the contest, hitting four straight free throws in the final 26.2 seconds of regulation, sealing the deal for his team.

Miami wrapped up its miraculous championship run with a 95-92 win led by Dwyane Wade. This powerful display was made even more impactful when you realise that Wade's partner-in-crime Shaquille O' Neal contributed just nine points. The influential demonstration of physical & mental toughness cemented his well-deserved NBA Finals MVP honours.

For the series, he averaged 34.7 points on 46.8 per cent field-goal shooting, 7.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.7 blocks and one steal per game, and got the franchise it's first NBA title.

#2 March 9, 2009: Miami Heat vs Chicago Bulls

Wade stripped John Salmons with three seconds left in the second overtime period.

Stat line: 48 points, 6 rebounds, 12 assists, 4 steals and 3 blocks

As Wade himself described it, this was a game for the ages.

The game went into overtime with a score of 117-117 and Wade's individual total being 42. In the dying seconds of the second overtime, Dwyane Wade anticipated John Salmons' move, and left his man, Derrick Rose to try for a steal. He was successful, snatching the ball from Salmons as the clock wound down. Not enough time at hand to reach the basket, Wade launched up a desperate heave from beyond the arc and the shot swished through the basket.

In a thrilling display of courage, tenacity, and grit, Dwyane Wade almost single-handedly beat back the Chicago Bulls to clinch victory for the Heat.

Over his past nine games, D-Wade has averaged 37.7 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 10.7 apg, 2.8 spg, 1.2 bpg.

#1 Game 3: 2006 Finals vs Dallas Mavericks

Wade scored 15 points in the fourth period.

Stat line: 42 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals

Mavericks were up 2-0 in the series and with an 89-76 lead with 6:34 to go in Game 3. They had the game in hand with under seven minutes to go.

Facing an insurmountable 0-3 hole in their first NBA Finals game ever in Miami, Wade wasn't quite ready to go down like that.

Unfazed by the moment or just too young to realize its magnitude, Wade led his team to a nail-biting 98-96 win.

When the game ended, his points total was 42 (bolstered by a 14-of-26 night from the field) while committing just one turnover in 43-plus minutes. This was one of the most emphatic comeback wins in NBA Finals history, and it actually salvaged Miami's title hopes from going down the invincible 0-3 hole, from which no team before or since has recovered from.

The series saw Miami clinch three more victories in a row, on their way to the franchise's first NBA title, all because Dwyane Wade got to work late in Game 3.

Wade, in just his third year in the league, with all the pressure on his shoulders, willed his team in a must-win game. That is true greatness!