Miami Heat Season Recap: Where Dwyane Wade Happened

By March, Wade catapulted himself into the MVP talks with his fantastic play. People were starting to notice Wade was not only proficient on the offensive end, but on the defensive side as well. He became the only player in NBA history that is 6'4" or shorter to block 100 shots in a season. Wade also became the only player in the league to amass at least 100 blocks and 100 steals in a season.

But Wade’s statement for his MVP campaign came in a game late in February against the New York Knicks. Wade exploded for 46 points, with 24 of them coming in the fourth quarter. He also put up 10 assists, eight rebounds, four blocks, and four steals to solidify himself as a top three MVP candidate along with LeBron James and Kobe Bryant.

The final two months of the season saw the Heat finish with inconsistency, as they went a mediocre 15-15 after the midseason acquisition for JO and Moon. The Heat spent the final two months of the season battling out the 4^th seed with the Atlanta Hawks. In the end, the Hawks would capture the fourth seed with the Heat clinching the 5^th seed and finishing the year with a respectable 43-39 record.

Miami would take on the Atlanta Hawks in a first round matchup that saw plenty of surprises. With the Heat back in the playoffs, Miami was full of excitement with the team’s playoff theme called “Back in Black.”  

Although this was a highly anticipated series, it was a series that was void of drama and full of blowouts. The Heat would push the Hawks to seven games, but every game in the series was decided by 10 or more points and most games were decided by halftime. Although the Heat lost the series, they still won three games and Heat fans were excited to see them back in the playoffs after their one year absence.

With the 2008-2009 campaign over, it’s time to reflect on the Miami Heat’s season. The Heat had a great and unexpected turnaround year. They revamped their roster and benefited from all the changes as they pushed themselves back into the playoffs and provided hope for the future.

While the Heat getting back to the playoffs was a major story of Miami’s season, the amazing play of Dwyane Wade is what really emerged as the top story in South Beach this year. Wade unquestionably played the best year of basketball in his career, taking the NBA scoring crown with 30.2 PPG and propelled himself into MVP talks.

In the end, Wade finished third in MVP voting, but no one will forget the year he had. It was a year filled of accolades and highlight reels for the six-year veteran nicknamed “Flash.” Wade became the Miami Heat's all-time leading scorer, surpassing franchise legend Alonzo Mourning. He was also a two-time Eastern Conference Player of the Month, a three-time Eastern Conference Player of the Week, and finished third in voting for the Defensive Player of the Year Award.

Wade capped off his brilliant year by becoming the only player in league history to post at least 2,000 points, 500 assists, 150 steals, and 100 blocks during a single season. Simply put, Dwyane Wade was "Amazing" this year.

While Wade made all the headlines, other Heat players had strong years. Beasley had solid rookie campaign, making the All-Rookie first team and was the Heat’ second leading scorer. Point guard Mario Chalmers made the All-Rookie second team and was third in the league in steals. Also, Head Coach Erik Spoelstra had a great rookie year of coaching, guiding Miami back to the postseason and finishing seventh in Coach of the Year voting.

With the year over now, the Miami Heat will focus in on the offseason. Miami had two second round draft picks, the 43rd and 60th overall picks. With the 43rd pick, they selected Marcus Thornton, who they immediately traded to New Orleans for a pair of second-rounders—one in 2010 and one in 2012. Then they traded for the draft rights of guard Patrick Beverley. He is a 6'1" point guard that played at Arkansas his junior year, before playing in Ukraine for one year. 

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