Dwyane Wade will play his final game in Charlotte on Wednesday night. His best moment against the Charlotte Hornets in Spectrum Center was during Game Six of the 2016 NBA Playoffs.
It has been quite a career for Dwyane Wade, who will be retiring at the end of the season. Wade has been a killer on the court throughout his career, against the Charlotte Hornets and every other NBA team.
One moment against the Charlotte Hornets stands out in particular, though.
April 29th, 2016. The Hornets have a 3-2 lead on the Heat in the 2016 NBA Playoffs with a chance to advance to the Semi-Finals with a win at home. It was close throughout the game, but then, Dwyane Wade happened.
More from Swarm and Sting
- Hornets: Where does Brandon Miller’s ceiling rank among other rookies?
- Charlotte Hornets grade out mostly average in position-by-position ranking
- Hornets News: P.J. Washington makes bold statement on Brandon Miller
- Grade the mock trade: Hornets snag Tyler Herro, flip Gordon Hayward
- Will the Charlotte Hornets be in the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery?
Wade hit two three-pointers in the fourth quarter, which was incredible considering he hadn’t hit a three since December at that point. He also hit two heavily contested jumpers over Courtney Lee, who is a very good defensive player.
The dagger came with 19.5 seconds remaining, when Wade hit one of said jumpers over Lee to give the Heat a five point lead. He looked to the crowd and had something to say to a particular fan decked out in a purple shirt and white headband, who had been heckling Wade throughout the night.
That fan instantly became a hit after that night. It gave some fans a flashback to when Indiana Pacers legend Reggie Miller trash talked New York Knicks fan Spike Lee during the 1994 NBA Playoffs.
It was an epic performance from Wade, and it gave the Heat a huge win. Unfortunately for Hornets fans, Game 7 wasn’t close. The Hornets had a good squad, but some inexperience showed as the Heat blasted them 106-73 to move onto the second round.
Something else that is unfortunate for Hornets fan is the fact that Charlotte has not been in the playoffs since that fun series against Miami. Getting a win against Wade’s Heat in his final game in Charlotte would strengthen the chances of making it into the playoffs this year.
Wade is averaging 20.0 points against the Hornets in two games this season. That is his sixth highest scoring average against any team this season.
He’s also shooting 50 percent from the three-point line against Charlotte this season.
The game against Miami on Wednesday will be huge for both teams. The Hornets are only half a game ahead of Miami in the standings, so getting a win and officially winning the season series vs the Heat will be important.
With both teams battling for playoff positioning, you can expect this to be a pretty intense match-up. Dwyane Wade will certainly be locked in, and the Hornets are going to have to do a better job on him defensively.
This may be Wade’s last game in Charlotte, but the team will be in Miami to take on the Heat later this month on the 17th. That figures to be another big game for both teams.
Dwyane Wade is a first ballot Hall of Famer, and I have a feeling that the Hornets crowd will show him some love on Wednesday night, despite the heartbreak in the past. Be sure to tune in for Wade’s final game in Charlotte.
One Last Dance. Thank you, D-Wade.