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Photo Of The Year? LeBron Skies For Slam, Wade Basks In It

This is the type of Miami Heat team we expected to see, emerging last night in an 88-78 win over the Bucks. Specifically, it emerged in the moment depicted above, captured brilliantly by the AP’s Morry Gash, in which LeBron James went up for a huge slam off a Dwyane Wade pass, while Wade celebrated the occasion.

I mean…just look at those guys. LeBron is going so high up, he practically looks photoshopped in. Meanwhile, Wade is already sporting a look (and gesture) saying, “Yeah, that’s right, this is how we do things around here”…and LeBron hasn’t even completed the play yet. This almost unholy level of confidence Wade carried in this moment certainly suggests the Heat are finally starting to click.

And the team’s five-game winning streak, though it’s been mostly against weak teams, also suggests the Heat are finally ready to start playing like they’re capable of. And if the Heat, with all that talent, play like they’re capable of, they’ll be very good. And if they’re very good, and keep the swagger they have in that photo while doing it, they’ll be much easier to hate…and that will be fun for all.

SB Nation also has video of the moment, which you can check out below. It’s nice to see the play in full, but it’s safe to say this is one of those moments that a perfectly-timed photo does more justice than the full footage.