Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Wade gives ‘young fella’ sage advice
Veteran encourages Richardson after last-second miss sank Heat
MIAMI — When Josh Richardson’s lastsecond shot against the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night clanked off the front rim and was deflected around until time expired, Dwyane Wade wrapped both arms around a noticeably frustrated Richardson to tell him something.
Wade consoled Richardson after his miss left the Heat with a 115-113 defeat, their second to a Hawks team that has only five wins. Wade’s immediate message after the game was simple: “Great look.”
Wade would then go on to offer more words of encouragement.
“Obviously, we all want to make every shot, and I probably would’ve been the same way, but just let him know, nine times out of 10, he’s
making that shot,” said Wade.
“It’s a wide-open look. Great shot. We work on it every day. Law of averages, you’re not going to hit every one of them.”
As the Heat move on and look to snap their six-game home losing streak against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night, Wade revisited the back-and-forth of passes between he and Richardson that led to the shot.
“We got the shot we wanted,” he said. “We were playing piggyback with the ball — me and him. We didn’t force anything. Got a great shot to try to winat home, and we didn’t.”
Richardson, 25, took the 36-year-old Wade’s words in stride.
“It was a good look,” said Richardson, who is leading the Heat in scoring at 20.5 points per game. “I mean, I drove it, kicked it. Had a good look. He drove it, kicked it and got a good look. So, got to live with it.”
For Richardson, it was just a matter of make or miss after he appeared to get away with an extra step in getting his feet set for the three.
“I shot it just like every other shot,” Richardson said.
For Wade, it was a splitsecond decision to give it back to Richardson one final time when determining whether he could have shot it himself.
“Everything is happening like this,” Wade said, snapping his fingers. “Everything’s happening bang-bang. … If Coach drew up a play, and it ended up in a wide-open shot like that, it would’ve been an amazing play Coach drew up. That was just the way the game went, and we ended up getting a great shot.”
A younger Wade would’ve taken the onus on himself to assure the team’s fate lay with his attempt.
“Definitely would’ve forced it up in the past,” said Wade, adding he’s trying to empower Richardson. “I’ve been trying to do it all year. If I hit the game-winner, then it’s cool, but it adds what — one more to my 11? I’ve got 12; that’s fine. It doesn’t do anything. I’m going to retire with my game-winners.
“Just trying to continue to build him to be, hopefully, the focal point of this franchise, and moments like that like he’s had all year – like he’s had big shots, big moments. I got out of his way on a lot of them.
“Having an opportunity at that point, where I had an open shot after I shotfaked [the defender], you know, I decided to go to the young fella. For him to bring it home for us. And I’d do it again and again.”
“I’ve been trying to do it all year. If I hit the game-winner, then it’s cool, but it adds what — one more to my 11? I’ve got 12; that’s fine. It doesn’t do anything. I’m going to retire with my game-winners.” —Dwyane Wade on putting the team before himself at the end of games