FanHouse Dwayne Wade

The Nets have had a string of injuries take away their chance to be at all relevant the first part of this season, and in fact, they were winless through nine games heading into Miami to face Dwyane Wade and the Heat on Saturday. They appeared to have a chance to get their first win of the season, though, thanks to a sluggish effort from a Miami team that was missing Jermaine O'Neal from the start, and Mario Chalmers after five minutes due to injury.

New Jersey led by three with 30 seconds remaining, before Quentin Richardson accidentally banked in a three-pointer to tie the game at 78. The Nets got the lead back, thanks to a tip-in from Brook Lopez with just under four seconds remaining.

But unfortunately for the Nets, Dwyane Wade plays for the Heat. And even though he hadn't made a shot the entire second half, he drained a three with 0.1 left on the game clock to make sure that New Jersey stayed winless.

Video after the jump(er).

It's another Nike scheme, I suspect, perpetrated to create a rush on LeBron James' new, customized No. 6 jersey. Seems even the swooshheads have to compete against the iPod Touch, Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3 and Guitar Hero, right? That said, if it truly was LeBron's idea to relinquish No. 23 out of deference to Michael Jeffrey Jordan, I congratulate him for his style.

While admonishing Stan Van Gundy for his ignorance.

James wants every NBA player wearing No. 23 to follow his lead and find another number. It's an idea akin to placing the image of longtime basketball great Jerry West on the league's logo, a silhouette that has survived to this day. If Jordan indeed is the greatest player ever -- and anyone who disagrees should have his sports fan credentials revoked -- it's appropriate to, in effect, retire his jersey without the actual ceremony. James is the one player worthy of the number, as a legitimate heir to Jordan, and he doesn't feel right wearing it. So why would the inferior likes of Devin Brown, Toney Douglas, Stephen Graham, Wesley Matthews, Jodie Meeks, Byron Mullens, C.J. Watson and Martell Webster not feel sheepish, much less embarrassed, in continuing to wear the sacred digits? Only Jason Richardson, Marcus Camby and Kevin Martin have displayed enough skill and accomplishment at the highest level to not draw sneers for wearing No. 23. Yet they, too, should pay tribute to Jordan and get with the LeBron plan.

MIAMI -- It's not like only one team has shown up for this playoff series, which is what happened with the Cavs and the Detroit Deadbeats. It's just that these two don't show up at the same time.

Not to rain on anyone's playoff parade, but it's hard to imagine a Game 7 with any less suspense than what we'll see Sunday when the Heat play the Hawks in Atlanta. Hopefully, there will be golf to watch.

Can't predict the winner, but it won't take long to find out who it will be. These two take turns quitting early. It has become the anti-Celtics-Bulls series.

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