Inside The Heat

Why A Late-Season Win Vs. Bulls In 2005 May Have Been Dwyane Wade's Most Gratifying

Shandel Richardson|
Mar 25, 2010; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich (12) and Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade (3) talk during the second half at the United Center. The Miami Heat defeated the Chicago Bulls 103-74. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-Imagn Images
Mar 25, 2010; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich (12) and Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade (3) talk during the second half at the United Center. The Miami Heat defeated the Chicago Bulls 103-74. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-Imagn Images | Mike DiNovo-Imagn Images

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Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade was linked with NBA stars such as Kobe Bryant, Ray Allen and LeBron James during his playing days.

While all of those rivals are Hall of Famers, Wade may have had his best duel with Chicago Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich. During the early part of the 2000s, the two were in some heated battles. They met in the 2006 and 2007 playoffs but also had plenty matchups during the regular season.

Wade went far as saying Hinrich was among the best defenders he faced.

"Some guys played me really well," Wade said on the All The Smoke podcast. "A guy like Kirk Hinrich played me really well. Smart, great position defender, didn't go for shot fakes. He was tough. He loved defense."

Wade said he took gratification when he had a big game versus Hinrich.

"When I got him, when I had a game where I scored 40, I walked away with my chest poked out," Wade said. "Because there were so many nights, I had to work hard to get those points. Shout out to Kirk Hinrich, just an underrated defender."

Wade and Hinrich faced off 36 times. Wade had 50 points in the infamous "This is my house" game in 2009 but Hinrich was out of the starting lineup by then. So Wade must have been referring to scoring 39 against the Bulls April 5, 2005.

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star. TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here