By Shandel Richardson, Sun Sentinel –
MIAMI — Miami Heat standouts Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are fully healthy and ready Saturday’s postseason opener against the New York Knicks.
Although coach Erik Spoelstra listed everyone as “day-to-day” after Friday’s practice, Wade and Bosh say they are good to go for the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Wade essentially missed the final four games of the regular season with a dislocated left index finger. He sustained the injury three minutes into last Saturday’s game versus the Washington Wizards and then was held out the remainder of the year.
“I’m fine,” Wade said. “There’s nothing you can do about that. It’s good, actually. It responded better than I thought it would respond.”
Bosh missed the final six games with a hamstring injury. He said he still expects to play at a “high level.”
“If I step on the court, I’m not limited,” Bosh said. “I’m not one of those guys that’s like, ‘Well, I played but I was coming up short.’ In a playoff game, that’s not going to happen. No excuses. I’m not one to make them.”
Fond memories
This marks the first time the Heat and Knicks have met in the postseason since the 2000 Eastern Conference semifinals.
It gave some of the current players opportunity to reflect on their favorite memory of the rivalry. The teams met four times from 1997-2000.
“Just the competitive nature of those series,” Wade said. “Actually one of my favorites was when (Heat president Pat) Riley went back to the Garden (in 1997). To see him get on that court, and celebrate the boos was kind of awesome.”
Forward LeBron James said his top moment came later in that series when players from both teams were involved in a bench-clearing brawl.
“I wasn’t a Heat or Knicks fan,” James said. “I was a Bulls fan. The funniest moment was looking at (Knicks coach) Jeff Van Gundy slide on somebody’s leg.”
Continuity concerns
Injuries and rest prevented Wade, James and Bosh from playing together the last seven games of the season.
They last played collectively April 15 against the Knicks in New York, winning 93-85. Despite the lack of the court time, they say it won’t affect chemistry.
“I think we’ll be all right,” Wade said. “Throughout the playoff series, throughout the whole playoff grind, you’re going to have ups and downs, you’re going to have different adjustments you got to make. We’ll deal with whatever comes our way … I’m not worried about the continuity.”
James said the only issue is Bosh’s fatigue because of the inactivity.
“It won’t affect the game plan,” James said. “We understand what needs to be done on the basketball court. We have that comfort level.”
Game-time decision
Knicks center Tyson Chandler did not practice because of flu-like symptoms, according to coach Mike Woodson.
Woodson said there is a chance Chandler could be unavailable. His potential loss is blow for the Knicks. Chandler is the among the favorites to win the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award while also putting one of the best shooting performances in NBA history.
He shot 67.9 percent from the field, with Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain being the only player to have a high percentage. Chandler also played a key role last year for the Dallas Mavericks against the Heat in the NBA Finals.
