chievers in the sport of hockey. The term enigma is thrown around too loosely in sports, especi

MIAMI - This is why Dwyane Wade rested. Brian Dawkins Jersey . This is why the Miami Heat opted to go without their longtime franchise player for so many nights this season, why teammates hoped their frustrations about playing without him for 28 regular-season games would ultimately be rewarded, why he often seemed more comfortable in a suit than a uniform. News flash: The regular season didnt mean all that much to Wade and the Heat. Everything about the Miami franchise revolves around chasing more titles, and Wade is doing his part. He and the two-time defending NBA champion Heat will take a 2-1 series lead over the Indiana Pacers into Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals on Monday night, and Wade — who is playing without any significant injury issues at this point of the season for the first time in years — is looking as good as he has in months. "Im in the groove and the flow that I want to be in, and also understanding that the game of basketball is tricky," Wade said. "You can get out of it in a second, and youve got to figure out a way still to compete and help your teammates win." True, but that groove hes in is a pretty good one. Heres how good hes been in the fourth quarters of these East finals: Wade has as many field goals in those three final periods — 13 — as any other two players in the series combined to this point. Hes shooting 72 per cent in fourth quarters in this series, including a 6-for-7 effort in the last 12 minutes of Game 1 and a 5-for-5 showing in the final period of Game 2. "Weve got to make him a little bit more uncomfortable than he is," Pacers forward David West said. "Hes just playing the game at way too high of a comfort level in terms of were just not putting enough pressure on him. All the guys on the floor need to guard him and get him out of his comfort zone. Hes really lining his shots up, taking his time, which we cant allow. "He just cant be as comfortable as hes been." That sounds like things opponents were saying about Wade before the summer of 2010, when he helped lure LeBron James and Chris Bosh to Miami and formed the core of a team that is two wins from a fourth straight East title. But after hearing plenty of talk in recent years that his game isnt so much declining as it is freefalling, Wade seems to be reveling in the reminders that, yes, he can still be among the elite players in the NBA. The show Wade is putting on is so good right now that James wouldnt even leave to get some much-needed treatment for a hamstring cramp late in the third quarter of Game 3 until seeing what the 2006 NBA Finals MVP was going to do on Miamis final possession of the period. Wade wound up connecting on a 3-pointer, after which James immediately hobbled off, basically unable to work one of his legs. Worth it, James said. "Thats what our team is built for," James said. "When one of the guys goes out, were able to still hold the fort. Its great to see the way he closed out the quarter. The way hes been playing in the conference finals. We need it all." James never really hid his frustration about playing without Wade, though it never rose to the level of any obvious locker-room rancour, either. Whether they liked it or not, the Heat understood the plan for Wade and why it was crucial to preserve his balky knees with hopes that he would be at his best for the biggest time of the year. So far, so good. And Wades confidence — which wasnt perfect after he had to miss nine games late in the regular season because of a hamstring injury, an absence not related to the maintenance plan — is as high now as its been all season. "You need it, no question about it. We all do," Wade said. "So for me, the first round was me just kind of trying to get my footing a little bit, trying to do some of the things that I was capable of doing, trying to see if I could do it. Then the second round came a little more and then the third round. Like I said, ideally for me, missing the last 2 1/2 weeks wasnt ideal, but thats what happened." Its also now forgotten. He might not be the guy Heat President Pat Riley used to call "BIW" — short for best in the world — anymore, but Wade at his best makes Miami look its best. "Dwyane understands his game and where hes effective as much as anybody in this league," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "Thats why youre seeing a shooting guard shooting an incredibly efficient field goal percentage that he does, and its gone up the last two years. He knows how to get to his spots." Brian Westbrook Jersey . The ongoing funk on penalty kill and an unusually quiet night on home ice for the power play divided the Leafs from the Bruins at the ACC in a rare Sunday night affair. Cheap Eagles Jerseys . Rockies manager Walt Weiss was unhappy, too. Weiss addressed the issue in a 15-minute meeting with his pitcher and catcher after the Rockies gave up 14 hits and lost 10-1. De La Rosa lasted only 4 1-3 innings and allowed five runs in his first opening-day start. http://www.cheapeaglesjerseysauthentic.com/ . -- Damian Lillard couldnt believe when he got a clear look at the rim.Each week, The Reporters put their thumbs out to the good and the bad in the world of sports. This week, they discuss the American support of the World Cup, the passivity of NHL GMs, the clubhouse issues of Bryce Harper, and the career of the retired Alex Kovalev. Bruce Arthur, Toronto Star: My thumb is up to American soccer fans, who have been much maligned over the years. Americans dont like soccer, people say - the same people, of course, year after year. Too little scoring, too much diving, too many ties, blah blah blah. Americans, the laziest critics have said for years, are too good for soccer. That typically mindless braying resurfaced during this World Cup, but a funny thing happened: it was overwhelmed by a tidal wave of support, of enjoyment, of commitment to a U.S. team that didnt have the most talent, but that rewarded its fans with everything it had. TV ratings? Through the roof. Online support? Inescapable. Americans embraced soccer, and it was so much fun. If they cant accept the metric system, they can at least love this. Steve Simmons, Sun Media: My thumb is down to the passivity of NHL general managers, who are sometimes too polite for their own good. The GMs missed out on the opportunity to make an offer to restricted free agent PK Subban and now that Subban has filed for arbitration, his rights are protected by Montreal for the coming season. But if Im a GM, I would have made a monstrous offer to Subban, more than $10 million a year, and not just because he was the only game changing player available. I look at this two ways. If I throw huge money at Subban, I have a shot to get him - albeit its a long shot. And if Montreal matches, which is usually the way these things go, then Im meessing up their payroll. Jerome Brown Jersey. Either way, I have nothing to lose. Even if the GMs dont agree. Michael Farber, Sports Illustrated: My thumb is down to Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper, for more unwelcome Washington punditry. After missing 57 games following thumb surgery, the uber-talented 21-year-old returned this week full of enthusiasm and suggestions. He critiqued the batting order - he was hitting sixth - and, more tellingly, the personnel. Harper was in left field, not his preferred position of centre, implying that Denard Span, the Nats centre fielder, should have been on the bench. Great for clubhouse chemistry. In publicly slagging first-year manager Matt Williams lineup, the prodigy wasnt breaking one of baseballs murky unwritten rules. He was violating basic workplace etiquette. Everyone has bosses and co-workers, even Harper, the young and the restless. Dave Hodge, TSN: And my thumb is sideways - thats right sideways - to the hockey career of Alex Kovalev, who announced his retirement this week at age 41 after playing last season in Switzerland. Why is my thumb sideways? Well, because like a lot of people, I cant decide whether Kovalev had a great career or is one of the great underachievers in the sport of hockey. The term enigma is thrown around too loosely in sports, especially at Russian hockey players. But how else to describe a player would could appear to be the most talented of any in one game, and then invisible the next, a pattern that existed throughout his career. Fans and even Kovalevs teammates used to debate how hard he was trying on any given night. Which, more than anything he accomplished on the ice … seems destined to be what we remember about him most. 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