If Chicago-area native Dwyane Wade wanted anything more, it would be to knock out the team that he grew up cheering for in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals.
The Heat did not necessarily need Wade to have a big game to reach its first NBA Finals since 2006, but it wouldn’t have hurt.
After a sluggish overall game, it was Wade who ended up igniting an 18-3 finish, as the Heat prevailed 83-80.
Miami now returns to the Finals, and Wade got his wish.
Miami Herald
The Dallas Mavericks do not anticipate Caron Butler will be able to play in the NBA Finals, although a return remains a possibility.
“It’s unlikely, but I can’t say no for sure,” coach Rick Carlisle said during a Thursday morning appearance on ESPN 103.3’s “Ben and Skin Show.”
Butler, a two-time All-Star who began his career with the Miami Heat, has been working to return from a ruptured patellar tendon in his right knee. Butler is able to sprint and jump, but he has not yet been cleared for full-contact practice.
ESPN
I reached out to former Trail Blazers’ No. 1 draft pick Mychal Thompson yesterday as I worked on a story that wondered whether the Blazers’ GM job was still desirable in the wake of Rich Cho’s unexpected firing.
Thompson didn’t just praise the job opportunity — asking “who wouldn’t want to work for one of the best franchises in professional sports?” — he had a candidate in mind.
“I know who would be the perfect fit,” Thompson said. “It would be a great PR move, he’s highly qualified, knows the game inside and out and he’s right there in house.
“Terry Porter.”
Oregonian
