What Miami Heat Guard Dwyane Wade's Game Four Performance Actually Represents

If you were lucky enough to tune into ABC from 1:00pm-3:30pm, then you witnessed the best individual performance of the postseason so far and most likely for the rest of the way.

In an elimination game that posed the threat of the Boston Celtics sweeping the Miami Heat on their home floor, Dwyane Wade scored 19 of his 46 points in the fourth quarter to lead his team to a 101-92 victory and stave off elimination for one more day.

His Heat team was down 77-71 heading into the fourth quarter, and he used 4-of-4 three-point shooting to lead his team to victory.

The captivating performance might appear to be one more game in a less-than-inspirational series to some, but to a Miami Heat fan, this win represents a lot more than possibly losing the series 4-1 this coming Tuesday in Boston.

It represents hope for the future of this franchise, and most importantly, the fact that there is no doubt now that Dwyane Wade will be returning as a member of the Miami Heat next season.

If, in last night's Game Four, Wade put out a less-than-stellar performance and poured in 25 points in another double-digit loss, then we could see the possibility of a very disappointed Dwyane Wade leaving the Heat for a more inspired and championship-ready team.

But because of the fact that Wade just put on probably the greatest postseason performance of his career, it only proves that Wade is truly determined to play as a member of the Heat—live as one, and die as one.

The fact that Wade still has the tenacity and determination to actually care enough about his team to score 46 points on 24 shots is proof enough that Wade is one of the few players left in this league that is so attached to a team that even knocking on death's doorstep, he could will his team to victory, even it will be all for naught come Tuesday.

With the summer of 2010 looming and the endless gossip of players like Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh leaving their teams, Game Four against the Boston Celtics just showed the NBA world that Wade is not going anywhere.

Not only does Game Four's performance by Wade breathe new life into the dynasty on the horizon, but also for the current franchise in these 2010 playoffs. No team has ever come back from a 3-0, postseason deficit. But the Heat faced similar circumstances in the 2006 NBA finals when they nearly went down 3-0 and rallied to win 4-2.

By no means is this the same team. The deficit is still 3-1 with two games in Boston remaining. So with the chances at slim-to-none of the comeback of the century, Tuesday might be the last game of the season for the Heat.

But the Heat have Dwyane Wade, and following the 46-point performance, we have seen that anything is possible—even winning four straight games in a postseason series after trailing 3-0.

Wade has given the Heat new life and could have just been the spark that this team needed to make something out of this series, instead of rolling over and ending a promising 47-win regular season with a four game sweep.

The chances of the Heat turning the tides in the series and pulling off a 4-3 comeback series win is very minimal, but Game Four means more to the franchise than a win. It represents an upcoming dynasty, with Dwyane Wade as it's centerpiece for years to come.