Dwyane Wade told the Associated Press that his left knee, injured in a collision with Spurs guard Manu Ginobili a game prior, required a draining of fluid and nearly eight hours of therapy heading into Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
Dwyane Wade had knee drained, 8 hours of therapy before Game 7
Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade’s knees were issues in the last two series of the playoffs.
The knee that was surgically repaired over the summer swelled up like a “coconut” after Game 6 and Wade needed three hours of treatment in the morning and another four-and-a-half hours leading into the decisive game. Wade went on to score 23 points while hitting 11-of-21 shots.
The left knee might not have been the biggest issue, however.
Wade said his right knee that was struck by multiple bone bruises was worse than originally expected. It especially hampered him in the Eastern Conference Finals series against the Indiana Pacers. Before Game 7 of that series, Wade was heading to the arena ready to ask coach Erik Spoelstra to limit his minutes.
"I felt like if I was going to be playing the way I was playing, and hurting the way I was hurting, I wasn't going to be able to help us move on to the next round," Wade said. "I was going to say play me short minutes only, and give Mike Miller and guys other opportunities. But I came into the meeting, and all Spo was about was giving me more opportunities and getting me ways to be more successful. So I was like, 'Well, changed my mind.' "
In the 99-76 blowout to earn a trip to the finals, Wade scored 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds.
Wade underwent an MRI during the Pacers series that confirmed he didn’t have any additional damage to three bone bruises in his right knee. Wade had suffered from the injuries -- one bruise under his kneecap especially -- enough to miss several games toward the end of the regular season and never fully recovered.
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