Wade vs. LeBron rivalry renews
Heat winless against Cavs this season
MIAMI — Of all the rivalries over the Miami Heat’s 30 seasons — including Mourning vs. Ewing, Shaq vs. Kobe, Riley vs. Jackson — nothing offered the sustained competitive brilliance of Wade vs. LeBron.
Interrupted by a coming together for four seasons and then Dwyane Wade’s season and a halfway elsewhere, the friendly and fierce competition has the opportunity to resume Tuesday when LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers make their lone visit of the season to American Airlines Arena.
For all they shared together, including four Heat trips to the NBA Finals from 2011 to 2014, it was the preceding seasons when James’ visits with the Cavaliers routinely would bring out the best in both.
Now at different places in their career, Wade more mentor with the Heat, James as dominant seemingly as ever with the Cavs, the two meet in a game that will factor into whether the two could, for the first time ever, meet in the playoffs.
“Yeah, it’s going to be a great atmosphere on Tuesday,” Wade said, as the Heat turned their attention to the start of a four-game homestand.
With Kevin Love back in the mix, the Cavaliers have raised their offensive game to a level beyond where it stood before Wade departed Cleveland in his shift to the Heat at the Feb. 8 NBA trading deadline.
“Kevin, he spreads the floor for them. He’s an All Star. When you’re down an All-Star it makes things tough,” Wade said. “When you add him back in there, his ability to shoot the ball, rebound the ball, etcetera, it makes them a tough team. Definitely, they’re tough to cover, especially the way they’re playing.”
Tuesday will be the Cavaliers’ seventh visit since James left the Heat to return to Cleveland in the 2014 offseason. He sat out both of the Cavaliers’ visits last season and one of their two the season before. The Cavaliers have lost their past 13 visits, dating to James’ initial stint in Cleveland.
Whiteside still out
Heat center Hassan Whiteside is being listed as out for Tuesday night’s game, which would be the ninth consecutive game he would miss due to what the team is listing as a strained left hip flexor.
The Heat’s policy is to list a player as out if the game were to be held that day, with the Heat’s issuing the latest report Monday.
After the Cleveland game the Heat will have seven games remaining in their regular season, with the playoffs to open the weekend of April 14-15.
Whiteside initially injured his hip during the morning shootaround before the Heat’s March 10 victory over the visiting Wizards.
This is the third extended absence of the season for the 28-year-old center. He missed five consecutive games in October with a bruised left knee, 13 consecutive games in November and December with what the team said was a different bone bruise to that left knee, and now this nine-game absence if he sits out Tuesday. He also missed the Feb. 3 loss in Detroit due to a stomach illness, his only other absence this season.
The Heat also remain without guard Dion Waiters following his seasonending ankle surgery in January.
The Heat on Monday formally announced the recall of guard Derrick Walton Jr. from their G League affiliate.
The Cavaliers on Tuesday night will be without Jeff Green (illness), Kyle Korver (personal reasons) and Cedi Osman (hip).