<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">WASHINGTON ? That Dwyane Wade is amazing is well established. If every basketball fan in the nation hasn't quite gotten that yet, then the Eastern Conference finals will surely rub their noses in it. Makes you think, though, especially when these long breaks between playoff series are good for little else. What if Wade weren't available to Miami for a half, or a game, or a week? Injuries happen, and even more so when a player spends most of his time charging down the lane like a crazed downhill skier whistling through a thicket. Already the Heat player with the Superman tattoo, Shaquille O'Neal, has lost his indestructible status. If Flash were to crash, Miami coach Stan Van Gundy would be fresh out of superheroes halfway to an NBA title. That's something nobody wants to see, including Wizards forward Antawn Jamison. "One thing that should keep us motivated all summer," Jamison said, "is Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat. I wish them the best of luck for the rest of this year. I hope they win the championship. They're the best as far as I'm concerned." No argument here, considering the total team intensity that Miami brought Saturday to a Game 4 that really wasn't that vital. Look at what happened, though, and how many players had a hand in it. Damon Jones hits a half-dozen three-pointers. Udonis Haslem gets 13 rebounds. Michael Doleac plays 19 important minutes while Alonzo Mourning is in foul trouble. Christian Laettner is forced to play center for one of the few times all season and contributes four points and three assists in 12 improvisational minutes. That's the depth a title team must have, and that's the only way the Heat can win a playoff game without getting a single point from Shaq or Zo. Back, though, to Wade, who plays hurt and stays hurt. "I'm just a confident player," he said Saturday after scoring a franchise playoff high 42 points. "I think in this league, you've got to be that or be eaten alive." Wade talked, too, a few days back about not wanting to show anyone a physical weakness. "Me, as a player," he said, "if I know somebody's hurt I'm going to go right at them."</div> Source
