Wade’s son sends motivational text: ‘Stay on attack mode big dog’
Injuries to multiple members of the Miami Heat have forced Dwyane Wade to carry a heavier load of late, which hasn’t exactly been easy since the future Hall of Famer is also working through injuries to both of his shoulders. The 12-time All-Star had averaged just 13.6 points per game on 36.8 percent shooting in his last five appearances prior to Miami’s current road trip, with his scoring struggles helping contribute to a slide that had seen the Heat lose four straight and seven of eight to fall to the edges of the Eastern Conference playoff bracket.
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Despite Wade’s woes on the road, his son Zaire — whom you might remember for the role he played in Kobe Bryant giving the Heat star an early heads up on his forthcoming retirement announcement — knew his pop could get through the doldrums and back to dominating … if he’d just refuse to take what the defense gives him. Zaire told his dad as much in a pair of motivational Tuesday text messages that Wade shared with Ethan Skolnick of the Miami Herald:
“Hey man, you won’t get this message until after your game but i wanna say sum. These last few away games I have been watching to see if I can help you with anything. In the game you struggled you of course shot bad from the (field). The games you played good you got to the bucket. Last night vs. the Bulls was I (think) your best game of the season. When you are attacking the rim that causes (the) defense to suck in and opens up and ones for you, wide open treys for your teammates or etc… all I’m saying is stay on attack mode big dog. When you attack they will play you with a lil extra room so that’s when u use that killa instinct and shoot your midrange. And stop being so hard on yourself, most important play for a passion. It seems your playing like someone is making you. No go out there and play like it’s your last game of the season and give it all and trust your teammates.”
As Zaire noted, Wade wouldn’t see the tweet until after Miami’s Tuesday game. You wouldn’t know it by the way dear ol’ Dad played against the Brooklyn Nets, though.
Wade repeatedly worked to get into the teeth of the Nets defense, scoring 27 points on 11-for-22 shooting — including an 8-for-13 mark inside the paint — to go with eight assists, four rebounds, three steals and two blocks in 32 1/2 minutes to lead Miami to a 102-98 win.
Chris Bosh also scored 27 for the Heat, who improved to 25-21 on the season, and who echoed the importance of remaining aggressive to create greater offensive openings for their teammates.
“We have to be aggressive all the time, really, no matter who is in the game,” Bosh said, according to Michael Scott of The Associated Press. “The team is looking for us to be effective all the time, especially late. That’s our job. Dwyane, he’s one of the best in the world at it. He’s going to get his shot and he’s usually going to make it.”
Especially, y’know, when he stays on attack mode. Big Dog.
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
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