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Wade's health buoys defending champion Heat against Pacers

Another championship will undoubtedly make accepting it a lot easier. Wade didn't like it and Spoelstra refused to take any credit for it, but the maintenance
Chris Mannix|
Wade's health buoys defending champion Heat against Pacers
Wade's health buoys defending champion Heat against Pacers

Another championship will undoubtedly make accepting it a lot easier. Wade didn't like it and Spoelstra refused to take any credit for it, but the maintenance plan has worked. Wade looks sharp, fresh and with no back-to-backs in the playoffs and a player-friendly three days off between Game 2 and 3 of the Eastern Conference finals, its likely he will stay that way. Indiana's Lance Stephenson, Wade's new nemesis, said recently that part of his job during this series was to run Wade ragged, to make his knee "flare up" and knock him out of the game. The way Wade looks, don't count on it.

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Chris Mannix
CHRIS MANNIX

Chris Mannix is a senior writer at Sports Illustrated covering the NBA and boxing beats. He joined the SI staff in 2003 following his graduation from Boston College. Mannix is the host of SI's "Open Floor" podcast and serves as a ringside analyst and reporter for DAZN Boxing. He is also a frequent contributor to NBC Sports Boston as an NBA analyst. A nominee for National Sportswriter of the Year in 2022, Mannix has won writing awards from the Boxing Writers Association of America and the Pro Basketball Writers Association, and is a longtime member of both organizations.

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