The Miami Heat are gearing up for their third straight NBA championship run and one thing they will need to do that is a healthy Dwyane Wade, which is why the team was likely pleased that he made his preseason debut on Thursday against the Detroit Pistons in a 112-107 win.
The Heat have started the preseason 2-0 this year and Wade played 20 minutes in the game while dishing out four assists and he looked energized getting back on the court. Wade did not play in the opening preseason game for Miami and now they won their second straight game to open the preseason schedule, getting a nice performance from James Jones, while LeBron James added seven assists.
James scored nine points in the game and so did Michael Beasley and he helped push the lead for the team in the second half of the game. The Pistons fought back hard but couldn't cut the lead enough and the team was beaten out with 23 turnovers in the game. The Pistons are coming into the season with high expectations after signing Josh Smith and trading for Brandon Jennings and the team got solid games from Will Bynum, who had 28 points, and Andre Drummond, who had a double-double with 21-points and 11 rebounds.
The Heat are coming into the season with high expectations once again and they have a new veteran in Greg Oden that could be a huge help later in the season. James is ready to try and win another MVP and another championship and Wade will need to be healthy to help the team do that. Wade said that he is taking the preseason one game at a time and that he wants to remain healthy through the regular season.
Last year the team ranked fifth in scoring and fifth in scoring defense and after ranking 30th in rebounds per game, the Heat are hoping that Oden and Chris Andersen can give the team a boost along with Chris Bosh.