By Alvin Halimwidjaya

For the last few days, people have been raving about the Philadelphia 76ers as a rising contender to win the East. However, the Miami Heat came into Wells Fargo Center after a Game 1 loss to the Sixers and tied the series with a 113-103 win. Leading the way was Dwyane Wade, who continues to build his legacy as a Miami sports icon and the mayor of Wade County.

Wade scored 28 points in 26 minutes, with 21 of them coming in the first half. The Heat were dead in the water offensively following the drought they went through in the series opener, but Wade’s veteran presence was exactly why they snagged him in January. Well, that and the Heat realized they made a huge mistake in letting him go in the first place. Especially against a team with bright, young talent like the Sixers, that kind of poise and shot-creating ability is crucial in the playoffs and the slower pace teams end up playing at.

For the past couple of years, Wade’s role and perceived value had undergone a drastic change; after leaving Miami, he made quick pit stops in Chicago and Cleveland before returning to sunny South Beach. However, he’s gone from the star to a calming presence off the bench, as players like Josh Richardson, Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside have taken the reins for the Heat. Regardless, Wade still has some tricks up his sleeve, and will continue to contribute with huge playoff moments as he has done for the entirety of his career.

When Wade was young, critics were worried about how well his game would age. “Flash” was taking no prisoners with his athletic slams and swats, but he was just as much of a danger to his own health. Wade would pinball into the lane and draw contact with no concern for his health; eventually, that recklessness came back to haunt him, as he started to decline earlier than anyone would have liked.

However, Wade has proven all the haters wrong by transforming himself into the player with the best “old man” game on the older side of LeBron James. His pump fake ensnares many a young buck, and Wade has developed a deadly post game, showing off a turnaround fadeaway jumper that would make Kobe Bryant proud. His innate sense of timing still allows him to block shots with aplomb, and most importantly, his clutch factor is a force to be reckoned with.

Wade might need to be preserved for the end of the game, but that’s because he’s usually the best option in crunch time. With the Heat up six at the end of the game, Wade waved away his teammates for an isolation play against Ben Simmons. Despite the potential Rookie of the Year having a six-inch advantage, Wade simply stepped to the side and drained a jumper over Simmons’ outstretched arms. He then proceeded to stare down Kevin Hart sitting courtside while Sixers legend Allen Iverson yelled in the background, calling him a bad… um, man. Wade’s career might be coming to a close, but he’s showing that Father Prime still has a little “Flash” left in him.