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It's time for Heat's Dwyane Wade to step up with season on the line

San Antonio is outscoring Miami by 16.2 points per 100 possessions with Dwyane Wade in the game.

San Antonio is outscoring Miami by 16.2 points per 100 possessions with Dwyane Wade in the game.

The stakes are high for Wade, and not just in this series. Wade has pushed back the narrative that the future of the Big Three in Miami is tied to him-- that LeBron James, Chris Bosh and, perhaps, Carmelo Anthony will only consider the Heat if Wade can show he is still capable of playing at a championship level. But it will be a factor. Wade has been in a similar situation before, down 2-0 and 13 points to the Mavericks in the fourth quarter of Game 3 of the 2006 Finals. It was Wade who summoned the strength to put Miami on his back and carry it to a championship. Eight years later Wade is no longer counted on to shoulder the load for the Heat, but he will have to be much better for Miami to come back again.