Wade shows winning way
Heat guard returns to championship form against 76ers
MIAMI — The last time James Johnson was on a playoff court with Dwyane Wade before this openinground series against the Philadelphia 76ers was in the 2016 Eastern Conference semifinals. The aura, even as an opponent with the Toronto Raptors in their seven-game victory, was undeniable.
But now, as a Miami Heat teammate, Johnson has an entirely different perspective. And even greater awe.
“Coach Spo always mentions the vision of being a champion before you’re a champion,” Johnson said of one of Erik Spoelstra’s talking points. “But with Dwyane Wade on our team now, I don’t have to envision it — I get to see it.”
Johnson saw it to the tune of 28 points in the 113-103 Monday victory that evened this best-of-seven first-round series at 1-1 heading into Thursday’s Game 3 at AmericanAirlines Arena.
It was just two years ago when Wade helped carry the Heat within a victory over Johnson’s Raptors into the Eastern Conference finals. It was in the series before that when Wade made a statement against a certain Charlotte Hornets fan, which brought back memories for Heat center Hassan Whiteside.
“I’ve been saying it for a while now, it’s good to be back in the playoffs with my brother,” Whiteside said. “There’s no purpleshirt guy this time.”
But there was comedian and friend Kevin Hart seated courtside, pulling for his hometown 76ers.
“It’s a great feeling, especially when you’re on the road and you got people like Kevin Hart talking on the sideline, when you got the crowd saying all the things they were saying,” Wade said. “I heard a lot of things. It was all just used as motivation. And to be able to hush a whole crowd, that’s a great feeling. That’s a feeling that I hope my son feels one day. It’s an amazing feeling.”
Fighting back
Johnson also noted the defensive grit provided by forward Justise Winslow in helping him get a handle on 76ers point guard Ben Simmons in Game 2.
“If you had a video on me during the game, it would have shown this, putting your prints on the game,” Johnson said as he spread his fingers like claws. “That’s what it is, putting your prints on the game. He got us all motivated. He got us inspired.
“He just gave. He just gave, gave, gave. He didn’t want nothing in return. He took his open shots, but other than that he was playing solid defense.”
The Heat utilized multiple defenders on Simmons, from Johnson to Winslow to Josh Richardson to Rodney McGruder.
“Simmons can overpower you,” Spoelstra said. “It’s a unique blend of absolute power, speed and size. That has to be different guys. You have to have a roster and some personnel where you can throw different guys because he’s going to go through guys and put foul trouble on you, collapse the defense and eat your rotations.”
Wade said it was playoff Winslow in Game 2.
“We felt after watching the film,” Wade said, “we played Game 1 like a regular-season game and [Monday] was a playoff game and Justise led the way with his aggressiveness when he came off the bench, really getting into the ball, getting some fouls, getting bloody, whatever the case may be.”
Credit due
Lost in Wade’s throwback was Johnson’s 7-of-7, 18-point performance, with seven rebounds, five assists and three steals.
But it wasn’t lost on Spoelstra.
“He’s our heart and soul,” Spoelstra said. “He does so many things behind the scenes and so many things that don’t show up in the box score. You’re happy for him when he has a game and you notice in the box score with big plays he’s making. But he just does a lot of things that just make our team different and more dynamic.
“But he’s [been] playing this way for a while. It’s the guy we fell in love with last year. He’s a little healthier now, aggressive. He’s been playing impactful basketball for us.”