Do you believe in miracles?
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In what was certainly the story of Wednesday night's NBA action, Dwyane Wade nailed the game-winning 3-pointer as time expired in the Miami Heat's 126-125 win over the defending champion Golden State Warriors. Not only was it the winning shot, but his off-balance prayer also happened after his initial 3-point shot attempt was blocked.
If you don't believe it, check out the highlight for yourself.
That's definitely worth another angle.
So who did Wade give credit to for the game-winning shot immediately after the win? None other than former rival and Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant. Wade credited the "Mamba Mentality" for the shot off of the glass.
"When Kobe hit that game winner on me in L.A. He hit it off the glass at the top of the key. I said 'How is that possible?' Thank you for showing me the way, Mamba Mentality."
Wade is referencing Bryant's eerily similar game-winning shot in 2009 against the Heat -- an improbable off-the-glass 3-pointer.
Bryant took notice of Wade's post-game comments and responded with a short-but-sweet tweet.
Wade's winning shot not only capped off a solid performance by the 37-year-old -- 25 points on 10-of-17 from the field and 5-of-8 from beyond the arc -- but it also prevented Golden State from overcoming a 24-point deficit to win a game the Heat led nearly the whole way. In fact, the Warriors held a lead with 9:33 remaining in the first quarter and didn't lead again until Klay Thompson's 3-pointer with 3:16 remaining in the fourth quarter.
It appeared the game was over when Kevin Durant converted a four-point play to give the Warriors a 102-98 lead over the Heat with over a minute remaining.
However, Wade wasn't done just yet. His 3-pointer with 15.4 seconds remaining cut the Heat's deficit to just one. Durant would go on to shoot free throws, missing one of two, which would allow the Warriors to only hold a 125-123 lead with 13.9 seconds remaining.
The rest is history as Wade would convert his fifth and final 3-pointer to give the Heat, back in action on Thursday against the Rockets (8 p.m. ET -- watch on fuboTV with the NBA League Pass extension), the miraculous win.
Chris Paul, who reacted to Wade's unreal buzzer-beater, sent a message to the future Hall of Famer ahead of their contest in Houston:
Although it's highly unlikely Wade will pull off a similar miracle against Paul's Rockets, Wednesday's performance vs. the Warriors wasn't too shabby for an aging guard in his final season.
