NBA Finals: Dwyane Wade Says Game 2 is “Must-Win” for Miami Heat
By Eric He
After losing Game 1 of the NBA Finals to the San Antonio Spurs in a tight affair at home, Dwyane Wade is putting the pressure on his own team. The Miami Heat star told reporters on Saturday that Game 2 was a “must-win.”
“It’s very urgent,” he said. “Obviously we don’t want to go down 0-2 going to San Antonio for three straight games. Odds are not that good. They are not in our favor.”
“We’re not a team that really says too much ‘this is a must-win game,'”, he added, “but this is a must-win game.”
I always find it funny when players, coaches, or fans call a game a “must-win” when it really isn’t a “must-win.” In my opinion, the only kind of games that fit that description are actual “do-or-die” games, not the second game of a best-of-seven series.
However, every game is important, and obviously Game 2 is a pivotal one for the Heat. The 2-3-2 format in the NBA Finals may seem beneficial for the team with home-court advantage, but in this scenario, it may actually come back to bite Miami.
If the Heat go down 0-2, they would have to win two out of three games in San Antonio just to stay alive, and you can ask the Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, and Memphis Grizzlies about how tough that is to do, especially in the postseason.
With that being said, Miami is more than capable of beating any team in any situation if they get all their big guns rolling. If Chris Bosh can stop shooting threes, if Wade can return to being “Flash”, and if LeBron James can do his thing, the Heat will be hard to stop.
So while Game 2 is not exactly a “must-win” for the Heat, it is a pretty important game and one that will play a big role in the outcome of the NBA Finals.