MIAMI - Dwyane Wade treated Saturday like a normal game day. Pregame meal, massage, long shooting workout on the court more than two hours before tip-off.
When he'll do all that again remains anyone's guess.
Wade and Heat teammates LeBron James and Chris Bosh were among the headliners Saturday night in the South Florida All-Star Classic, an exhibition game featuring nine NBA All-Stars at Florida International. On the 100th day since the NBA lockout was announced - and with Commissioner David Stern having said the first two weeks of the regular season may be canceled as early as Monday - fans and players were both jittery over the immediate future.
"This is very unfortunate, this situation, to be in when you have two sides that at the end of the day have the same goal, just two different ways of getting there," Wade said. "We both want to grow this game. We both want the NBA to be as good as it can. We want everyone to succeed. But we both have two different ways of getting there."
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Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony was blunt after the game: He expects the NBA to cancel games soon.
"They're going to cancel the first two weeks of the season," Anthony said. "We'll see what happens then. If they want to lock us out, lock us out. We're going to stick together."
James and Wade said this game wasn't about the lockout, but about fans. That's why the Heat duo were able to secure commitments from stars like Anthony, Chris Paul, Amare Stoudemire, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Rajon Rondo, Rudy Gay and a slew of other NBA players.
"We'll play any day, any time," said James, who organized much of the game. "That's why we're here tonight, giving back to our fans... ."
Wade made two free throws with 3.2 seconds left to seal his team's 141-140 victory.
