Ranking Dwyane Wade's championships in order of difficulty level
Dwyane Wade will forever be one of the greatest shooting guards in NBA history. Wade retired back in 2019 at the age of 37 despite having gas left in his tank. Nevertheless, "Flash" called it quits knowing that he has already proven himself to be a basketball legend. He retired as a three-time NBA Champion and is waiting to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Looking back at Dwyane Wade's championship runs, he won three titles alongside fellow NBA superstars. Back in 2006, Wade won his first ring with the help of the most dominant center in the league, Shaquille O'Neal. "Flash" won a couple more in 2012 and 2013 when his best friend LeBron James decided to take his talents to South Beach. But which of Wade's championships was the most difficult to win?
12 years ago today, LeBron and Dwyane Wade gave us one of the most iconic photos ever 📸
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Dwyane Wade's Championship wins according to difficulty
#3 Miami Heat vs OKC Thunder (2012 NBA Finals)
The 2012 NBA Finals was a matchup between the Miami Heat and OKC Thunder. Here, Dwyane Wade won his second ring. Things were a bit different as the Heat had decided to put LeBron James in command of the team by this time. Nevertheless, D-Wade still put up superstar numbers averaging 22.6 points, six rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game in the Finals.
Among Wade's three championship campaigns, going up against OKC was the easiest. The Thunder squad was still relatively young at the time. They had a young Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and a sixth-man version of James Harden. Unfortunately, for OKC, there was no stopping James and Wade on their road to redemption from last season. The Heat won the series in five games.
#2 Miami Heat vs Dallas Mavericks (2006 NBA Finals)
At a point in time, the basketball world was debating over who was the greatest shooting guard in the league. The two superstars that came to everyone's minds were the late Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade. While there's no question that Bryant is everyone's choice, Wade proved to be a worthy contender in 2006.
D-Wade had just entered his third season and immediately carried his team all the way to the NBA Finals in 2006. The Miami Heat went up against the Dallas Mavericks. This was their first of two matchups in the Finals. The Heat had the advantage in terms of star power since they had both Wade and Shaquille O'Neal.
"Flash" was obviously the hungriest of them all in this Finals matchup. He went berserk and destroyed the Mavericks with his masterful performances. Wade averaged an impressive 34.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.7 steals, and 1 block per game. These figures rewarded him with the 2006 Finals MVP and his first-ever NBA championship. The Heat won in six games.
#1 Miami Heat vs San Antonio Spurs (2013 NBA Finals)
Of all three of Dwyane Wade's title runs, this was the most intense of them all. The San Antonio Spurs proved to be an incredible matchup for the Heat. The Spurs pushed Miami to their limits, forcing a dramatic game seven. Some say that if it wasn't for Chris Bosh's rebound and Ray Allen's clutch corner three, the Heat could've lost the series.
No matter how much slander people threw at Miami's 2013 championship victory, the fact of the matter is that they won. D-Wade averaged 19.6 points, 4.6 assists, four rebounds, 1.9 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game.