If you had been escorted, blind-folded, into Capital One Arena in Washington and Madison Square Garden in New York City the past two Saturday nights, you might not have known – during stretches – that the Heat was actually the road team.
“Let’s Go Heat” chants reverberated through the two arenas multiple times. Dwyane Wade was repeatedly cheered when he had the ball and serenaded with “D-Wade” and MVP chants. His baskets were met with thunderous applause, often louder than some scores by the home team.
Standing ovations and loud applause have followed Wade every where the Heat has played during his final season, even in cities where there wouldn’t seem to be much emotional attachment to him (like Denver) or markets with teams that suffered in part because of his excellence (Indianapolis).