Key Rotational Piece Could be Back for Cavaliers in Game 3

Dean Wade’s ultimate highlight in the NBA came in a game against the Boston Celtics. He may be finally returning to the court for the Cleveland Cavaliers against that very same team.

The Cavaliers are squared up at one game apiece in their Eastern Conference semifinal matchup against Boston. Game 2 saw the heavy underdog Cavaliers easily win on the road by the score of 118-94.

The 27-year-old Wade has yet to appear in any of Cleveland’s nine postseason outings. That could change on Saturday as the five-year veteran has been upgraded to questionable.

Key Rotational Piece Could be Back for Cavaliers in Game 3

Wade Hasn’t Played in Over Two Months

Dean Wade was last seen on the court in a March 8 contest against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The 6-9” forward has been out ever since due to a sprained right knee.

In addition to missing the Cavaliers’ first nine playoff games, Wade also missed the last 19 regular season games. Cleveland went 36-18 in games played by Wade in the regular season and just 12-16 without him.

With the Cavaliers being shorthanded for much of the season, Wade was thrust into the starting lineup 32 times. In his 54 games, the undrafted forward averaged 5.4 points and 4.0 rebounds. The majority of his field goal attempts (202 of 232) came from three-point territory where he connected on 39.1% of his tries.

In 224 career regular season games (92 starts), Wade has averages of 5.2 points and 3.4 rebounds. While his per-game averages may seem pedestrian, he has been one of Cleveland’s better defensive players.

Shining Moment Came Against the Celtics

The Cavaliers were able to defeat the Celtics once in their three head-to-head matchups. That came on March 5 as Cleveland prevailed by one point (105-104).

In that game, Wade came up with a career-high 23 points. He finished 8-11 from the field and 6-9 from three-point territory. Wade also added eight rebounds along with two steals, and Cleveland was a +16 in his 21 minutes.

It was the fourth quarter of that game where Wade truly showcased his heroics. Boston was up 87-71 heading into the final 12 minutes.

Twenty of Wade’s 23 points came in the final stanza. He made all five of his three-point tries in the quarter. Wade also secured the game-winning points with a dunk off an offensive rebound with 19 seconds remaining.

Would Wade be Part of Cleveland’s Rotation Right Away?

If Dean Wade is indeed active for Game 3, it will be interesting to see if head coach J.B. Bickerstaff throws him back into the mix right away.

There have been other instances of key rotation pieces returning in the playoffs after lengthy absences.

A starter in 33 of his 38 games this season, De’Anthony Melton of the Philadelphia 76ers played in just five regular season games after January 12. Inactive for the first three games of their first-round matchup against the New York Knicks, Melton dressed for Game 4. He played just seven minutes in that game and didn’t receive playing time in Games 5 or 6.

Christian Wood of the Los Angeles Lakers was active for Games 4 and 5 of the opening round against the Denver Nuggets. He didn’t play in either. Wood last saw action on February 14 as he has been out with a knee injury. The 28-year-old played 17.4 minutes per game for Los Angeles in his 50 games.