Dwyane Wade: 15 Sickest Plays of His NBA Career with the Miami Heat

With so much fantastic news spreading across the NBA world, it's probably a good time to relive some of the greatest memories of one of the worlds greatest basketball players in Dwyane Wade.

Two weeks of being deprived of one of the league's top players, on the most entertaining team, in the best basketball league in the world, is going to be a lot more difficult than it sounds, especially when you realize that we're going to probably miss more than two weeks of regular season basketball.

So for now we have to survive on memories. The memories of players like Wade that have come to help us love this simple game that involves nothing more than putting a leather sphere into a hoop more times than your opponent. It's just the way that these players can put on shows on any given night and entertain us in ways that no other sport can that attracts spectators like you and me to the game.

Without getting too preachy, just watch the 15 sickest plays of Dwyane Wade's career. Take note that these aren't his greatest plays, so you're not going to see too many game winners. Instead, you're going to see a slideshow mostly consisting of his top dunks, crossovers or all around moves.

He's one of the craftiest players in the league, so I'm not going to deprive you like the 1 percent of the United States currently is. Here are Wade's 15 greatest plays.

15. Wade Uses the Force on Eric Snow

C'mon Dwyane, it's bad enough that you embarrassed Eric Snow on national television but do you also have to give him the stare down as to let him now that, "Yeah that just happened."

Snow even went on to try and defend this slip up. We're not buying it.

14. Dunking over One Taller Player Just Isn't Enough for Dwyane Wade Sometimes

Troy Murphy=6'11".

Brandon Rush=6'6".

Josh McRoberts=6'10".

Dwyane Wade=6'4".

Sometimes putting one player on a poster isn't enough for Dwyane Wade.

13. Wade Outscores His Team and Doesn't Care for the Orlando Magic

The Miami Heat might have lost this game by double-digits, but it wasn't all that disappointing as it was also the first 50 point game of Dwyane Wade's career.

Coming during his comeback season in 2008 and 2009, Wade was absolutely electric the whole way by averaging a league and career high 30.1 points per game. The career high was supported by the 50 points he dropped against the Orlando Magic in a game where he outscored his entire team.

The most memorable of those points came nearing the end of the first half when Wade split the initial double team at the perimeter and then proceeded to explode all over Rashard Lewis with a thunderous jam.

12. Dwyane Wade Unleashes the Beast on Emeka Okafors Head

I remember this game like it was yesterday.

It was actually only a play before this that Dwyane Wade came extremely close from dunking on Emeka Okafor. He was fouled on that occasion though and couldn't follow through with the huge slam over the defensive minded center.

Wade decided to give it one more try on the very next possession by splitting another double team a little beyond the perimeter and then racing in attempting to beat Emeka Okafor, who was closing in from the side.

Okafor got in front of Wade, but didn't get there in time to block the shot. Wade just barely eluded the block and threw it down over the Charlotte Bobcats center for the huge poster.

11. Wade Brings the Hammer over Kevin Garnett

Dwyane Wade unleashed the fury on Jermaine O'Neal in his rookie season and he made sure to make the challenge even greater in his sophomore season when it came to dunking on premier defenders.

His next victim would be Kevin Garnett who would shy away from a full poster as not to completely embarrass himself any further.

All thanks to Damon Jones turning down a wide open three-pointer that he probably would have made. I'd still take the emphatic two over the possibility of a three.

10. Wait...you're Supposed to Look at the Basket to Shoot?

There was a reason as to why Dwyane Wade suffered from so many injuries, and this is the reason why.

Wade intended to go for the simple lay in before Detroit Pistons center/forward decided to attempt to draw a charge. Since McDyess had undercut him, Dwyane would have to improvise while still airborne by just throwing the ball over his head.

He knew he was going to take the hard fall, but he absorbed the contact and came to terms with the fact that he was going to come to a crash landing and still managed to make the shot.

9. Jermaine O'Neals Pride Is the First to Know of Dwyane Wade's Power

Talk about being fearless. After helping to down the New Orleans Hornets in his first ever postseason series, Wade was given the huge assignment in leading the team to a series win over the powerhouse Indiana Pacers.

Originally expected to just be a stepping stone to the Pacers, the Heat put up quite a fight and took the No. 1 seed to six games before bowing out.

The Pacers might have taken the series, but the Heat easily had the best moment courtesy of Dwyane Wade. Nearing the end of Game 3 and the Heat only up by two points, Lamar Odom would take the ball in before being stopped near the post.

With the defense focused on him, nobody picked up a cutting Wade who would receive the pass from Odom and would then dunk over the top of renowned defender Jermaine O'Neal to give the Heat a four point lead.

The Heat would use the momentum from the dunk to notch the win.

8. Kendrick Perkins Gets His Feelings Hurt

Nobody saw this coming. I've been watching Dwyane Wade since his first game with the Miami Heat and even I didn't see it coming.

Neither did Kendrick Perkins apparently.

This whole play is an excellent representation of just how versatile and crafty of a player Wade is. He starts out with the quick crossover on James Harden to lose him, then moves on to Serge Ibaka where he spins off of him, and then concludes the play with the thunderous dunk over noted shot blocking center Kendrick Perkins.

For those complaining about the cabbage patch afterwards: it was a homage to Juwan Howard and the Fab Five.

7. Dwyane Wade Gives Madison Square Garden Another Show

The reason why this list isn't just filled with Wade's numerous game winners is due to the fact that this isn't a list dealing with his best plays. Rather than his best plays, it's his sickest plays which usually involves a poster dunk, a crossover or a circus shot.

This game winner however was just too sick to pass up.

Under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden, notable defender Trevor Ariza defending him, and the game tied up at 96, Wade was obviously under a great deal of pressure. Being the cool and collected player he is however, Wade took it one step at a time and drove in with just enough time to get the shot off with no time left.

Wade drove in, did a quick step back move to gain some room and swished home the perfect shot from 23 feet out to give the Heat a 98-96 victory.

6. Wade Explodes for the Crossover and Poster

Not one of Dwyane Wade's better known plays, but it should be.

All it took for Wade to rid himself of his initial defender in Antonio Daniels was a simple juke to the right and a quick move to the left.

Once again this wasn't enough for Wade as he then went on to drive it all the way to the rim where he would slam it in over another Washington Wizards defender along with the foul.

5. Dwyane Wade Decides to Add Insult to Injury Once Again

It's plays like this that make you wonder why it took Dwyane Wade six years to get involved in the top players discussion.

Replicated a total of zero times since then, Wade makes a huge play on both ends by first blocking the 6'10" Amare Stoudemire with only a few ticks remaining until the end of the third quarter. With that in his mind, Wade only had a brief moment to gather the blocked shot and take the shot from 70 feet out.

Can you guess what happens next? Just watch the video and find out why this particular play made it so high on this list.

4. Dwyane Wade Dunks on Anderson Varejao's Soul

Easily the best dunk Dwyane Wade's had over the past eight seasons, and probably for future seasons until his eventual retirement, his poster dunk over Cleveland Cavaliers forward/center Anderson Varejao is a terrific example of exhibiting just how much power Wade possesses in only a 6'4" frame.

Following Jermaine O'Neal's block on LeBron James, which would have been good enough to begin with, Wade grabs the deflection and takes it the length of the court with absolutely no resistance. With speed built up and Varejao backing down, Wade saw his opening and took it by him going body to body with the Brazilian and slamming it over his outstretched hands.

The best part comes after though. Wade's dunk was so powerful that it actually knocked the center nearly head over heels into the support holding up the backboard and then he even ups the ante by pulling an Allen Iverson and stepping over Varejao.

3. Dwyane Wade Knows How to Put Fans in the Seats

I wrote an article a little while back putting Dwyane Wade as the league's craftiest player and I was actually met with resistance when people claimed that he wasn't crafty and was just athletic.

What do we call this then?

With Cleveland Cavaliers forward Sasha Pavlovic attempting to deter Wade by stepping in front of him, Dwyane decided to do the obvious by dribbling around the defender and then taking a few more dribbles before alley ooping it from half court to Shaquille O'Neal.

2. Dwyane Wade Goes Sick, Wicked, and Nasty Against the Bulls

In one sequence, Dwyane Wade took on an entire team and won.

The first line of defense included Joakim Noah and John Salmons attempting to deter Wade off the pick and roll. Wade responds by dribbling around his back and splitting the double team before taking on three more defenders.

Luol Deng is the first defender and Wade calmly side steps him.

Kirk Hinrich comes next by attempting to put his hands up to possibly draw a charge while the third defender in Brad Miller comes to attempt to block the shot.

Wade proceeds to windmill it between the two and banks in the lay up. It's not everyday that we get to see one man take on a team, but Wade managed to do it and for that I say on behalf of everyone that we are impressed.

1. Dwyane Wade Goes Dwyane Wade on the Chicago Bulls

The best play of Dwyane Wade's storied career and it's not even close.

There's not much holding this back from being one of the greatest plays in the history of the game as well.

Everything Wade did on this play was perfect. First, he starts off by denying the inbound to Derrick Rose who was the intended target. Second, he has the awareness of knowing the tendencies of John Salmons and jumping in right when he completes his spin move. Now that he has the ball, he then has to race down the court while keeping an eye on the clock the whole time.

Wade realizes how much time he has on the clock, takes his two steps into the shot, and lets it fly from 25 feet out while still having his momentum carrying him towards the rim. It doesn't matter as Wade watches the shot drop in to give the Heat an improbable 130-127 double overtime victory.

Yes, Dwyane. It really is your house.

John Friel is angry and he's ranting on twitter. Read it all @JohnFtheheatgod