Dwyane Wade and LeBron James are on the same wavelength as the NBA season beckons
Miami Heat super stars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade continue to grow as they enter their second year together in the NBA. The duo combined last summer and, alongside Chris Bosh, formed the Big Three of Miami.
They have gone onto dominate the NBA landscape since then, even though their charge fell apart in the NBA Finals. With a new season drawing closer, fear grows around the league of what the Miami duo will unleash next.
They have it all; power, pace, skill and intensity. To make matters worse for everyone else, they have an understanding at an almost telepathic level, making them the most formidable duo in basketball.
It wasn’t always like that though, and Wade says the key to success is their openness and candid demeanour when communicating.
"I don't think many players that have the similar games as we have or have done the things that we did in the league can come together this fast and make it work," Wade said. "That communication is there. I don't mind him saying something to me. I don't mind when I have to say something to him. We know how to make it work."
The two really did need to communicate as well. Coming into the previous NBA season, Wade and James were two separate entities, two super stars of the game and two giant egos on the court. They are both tremendously gifted players, one is a former NBA Finals MVP while the other has two regular season MVP awards stacked away.
They can both literally do everything on the court as well. Both shoot, both pass, they can drive to the rim and they can provide spectacular dunks. They can both even block shots. So it took a lot of effort for them to define specific roles on the team and get to the level of understanding they have today.
When they didn’t have that, the team struggled and all sorts of things went wrong. Once they did, the Heat soared in the Eastern Conference and looked imperious in the post season.
Erik Spoelstra had the privilege of coaching such genuine talents and he believes playing alongside each other has actually made the two better. Wade and LeBron are two competitors first and foremost, so being around each other has brought the best out of them.
"What's the saying? Iron sharpens iron. Greatness breeds greatness," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "So you see an example of that next to you. Those guys want to be challenged. Those guys like to be challenged.”
That’s a chilling prospect for the rest of the NBA, but a daunting task also awaits the Heat and its two most prized sons. They failed at clinching the title last season; if they can’t get it done again they will have much to answer for.
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