- Apr 14, 2005
- 1,757
- 10
MIAMI—
Dwyane Wade remembers when he wasn't the enemy, when a team that included himself, LeBron James and Chris Bosh was universally lauded.
That, he said, is what makes the antipathy directed toward this season's Miami Heat so confounding.
Going into Sunday night's Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks at AmericanAirlines Arena, Wade said he and his teammates have come to accept the aversion.
"It's the world we live in," he said. "I mean, a couple of years ago, 2008, we were playing for America in the Olympics and we had the support of everybody in America. Now in '11, we don't.
"And that's just the way it is. I don't think it's anything personal. A lot of people out there that's rooting against us don't know LeBron James as a person, don't know me as a person, don't know a lot of people in this locker room. But us, as a team, that's fine."
Just as that 2008 U.S. Olympic team delivered gold in Beijing, Wade figures the team America loves to hate has done the same this time around.
"If it makes for people tuning in, watching our games, if it makes for bigger story lines and it just makes our game better and exciting, we're fine with that," he said amid the huge television ratings these Finals have produced. "We know, as the people and the individuals that we are, they don't know us well enough to really, really not root for us as humans."
That, James said, hasn't necessarily made it any easier.
"I understand what position I'm in, how people look at me, not as a basketball player, but that can't stop me making my own decisions," he said. "I can't live my life and my career through other people's visions and other people's thoughts. I've got to do what's best for me and my family and friends."
Asked if the scrutiny had robbed some of the fun from the game, Wade said that has been unavoidable.
"I mean, there's been times probably where we went through stages where we didn't have fun with the game," he said of this season. "We have looked at each other and said, 'You know what? That's when we're at our best, so let's have fun.'
"We've had fun; we haven't had fun. And we've celebrated; we haven't celebrated, whatever the case may be."
James said he accepts the win-or-lose nature of emotional swings, but not the desire of outsiders to rob his spirit.
"Losing is never fun, of course," he said. "The only way, honestly, the way we've gotten to this point in our career, is by having fun with the game of basketball. I've always said it, 'Once the game stops being fun, honestly, there's no reason to be out there.'
"That's the way I've always approached the game, on and off the court. That's gotten me to the point where I am individually, and to the point where I've been successful in my eight years, so far."
Source: http://www.sun-sentinel.c...-s061211,0,7928880.story
Dwyane Wade remembers when he wasn't the enemy, when a team that included himself, LeBron James and Chris Bosh was universally lauded.
That, he said, is what makes the antipathy directed toward this season's Miami Heat so confounding.
Going into Sunday night's Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks at AmericanAirlines Arena, Wade said he and his teammates have come to accept the aversion.
"It's the world we live in," he said. "I mean, a couple of years ago, 2008, we were playing for America in the Olympics and we had the support of everybody in America. Now in '11, we don't.
"And that's just the way it is. I don't think it's anything personal. A lot of people out there that's rooting against us don't know LeBron James as a person, don't know me as a person, don't know a lot of people in this locker room. But us, as a team, that's fine."
Just as that 2008 U.S. Olympic team delivered gold in Beijing, Wade figures the team America loves to hate has done the same this time around.
"If it makes for people tuning in, watching our games, if it makes for bigger story lines and it just makes our game better and exciting, we're fine with that," he said amid the huge television ratings these Finals have produced. "We know, as the people and the individuals that we are, they don't know us well enough to really, really not root for us as humans."
That, James said, hasn't necessarily made it any easier.
"I understand what position I'm in, how people look at me, not as a basketball player, but that can't stop me making my own decisions," he said. "I can't live my life and my career through other people's visions and other people's thoughts. I've got to do what's best for me and my family and friends."
Asked if the scrutiny had robbed some of the fun from the game, Wade said that has been unavoidable.
"I mean, there's been times probably where we went through stages where we didn't have fun with the game," he said of this season. "We have looked at each other and said, 'You know what? That's when we're at our best, so let's have fun.'
"We've had fun; we haven't had fun. And we've celebrated; we haven't celebrated, whatever the case may be."
James said he accepts the win-or-lose nature of emotional swings, but not the desire of outsiders to rob his spirit.
"Losing is never fun, of course," he said. "The only way, honestly, the way we've gotten to this point in our career, is by having fun with the game of basketball. I've always said it, 'Once the game stops being fun, honestly, there's no reason to be out there.'
"That's the way I've always approached the game, on and off the court. That's gotten me to the point where I am individually, and to the point where I've been successful in my eight years, so far."
Source: http://www.sun-sentinel.c...-s061211,0,7928880.story
