June 5, 2006

MIAMI (AP) -The comparisons leave Dwyane Wade sheepish.

He knows they're almost inevitable, though. Wade hails from Chicago, grew up a Bulls fan. A Bulls jersey with the number 23 hangs in his arena. His acrobatic, high-flying moves are reminiscent of a certain six-time NBA champion. His body is sleek, muscular. And he has that uncanny knack of taking games over when his team needs it most.

Stop, Wade begs. He's not the next Michael Jordan. To him, the notion is blasphemous.

"I don't think he wants to be compared to anybody," Heat center Shaquille O'Neal said. "I think he wants to be the first Dwyane Wade. And he is the first Dwyane Wade. I've witnessed a youngster who's earned his spot. He hasn't been given anything."

No, Wade has earned it all. Millions. Fame. Endorsements. Respect. And - most important to him - a chance to play for the NBA championship in only his third year. His Miami Heat will face the Dallas Mavericks for the title, with Game 1 Thursday in Texas.

On that last point, there is no Jordan comparison.

He needed seven seasons to reach this stage.

"There will never be another Jordan. There's no question about that," Wade said. "The only thing I can try to do is go out and play the game the way I play it, and if people like the way I play, then that's great. And if people don't like the way I play, hopefully I can make them like the way I play.

"But there'll never be another Jordan and people need to stop comparing guys to MJ."

Wade is the first member of the ballyhooed headliners from the 2003 draft class - LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony were among the four that went ahead of him - to reach the championship round. (No. 2 pick Darko Milicic won a ring with the Pistons, albeit as a barely used reserve.)

That was his playoff challenge from Heat coach Pat Riley: "Be the first."

"To be in this position and have the opportunity to go and fight for a title at the age of 24, I'm just blessed that I have the opportunity to do that," Wade said.

It's a source of pride for Wade, who has taken his game to new heights every season in Miami - from 16.2 points on 47 percent shooting as a rookie who reached the Eastern Conference semifinals, to 24.1 points on 48 percent shooting and a trip to the East finals the next year, to 27.2 points and 50 percent shooting this season.

As his numbers have soared, so have the Heat's fortunes.

"No one can look at him, including me, and say we saw this coming at this rate," said Tom Crean, Wade's college coach at Marquette. "But you look at him, you look at his drive, it shouldn't be a big surprise. Every year, he has gotten better."

Right now, the Heat can only hope Wade's health gets better.

He missed practice Monday, the team choosing to send him to a doctor instead for continued treatment of a flu-like virus he's been battling since Friday. He scored 14 points that night, helping Miami beat Detroit 95-78 and clinch the East title.

"We're going to be OK," O'Neal said after Monday's practice.

Wade's been better than OK in these playoffs.

He's been one of the best players in the field.

Wade made 62 percent of his shots against the Pistons, averaging 26.7 points, 5.5 assists and 5.2 rebounds. For the postseason, he's shooting 51 percent, averaging 26.2 points, 6.4 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 2.1 steals. And he's made 11 3-pointers in the postseason, two fewer than he hit in the entire regular season.

"When he puts his mind to something, he does it," Crean said. "We have a drill, a 1:30 drill, where you have to make 14 3's - two in a row from seven spots, or you don't get to move on. Dwyane set the record. He did it in 44 seconds. He was determined to get that."

When O'Neal arrived in Miami two summers ago - after his notorious fallout with Kobe Bryant and getting traded away by the Los Angeles Lakers - the hot topic was how Shaq and another young, standout guard would mesh together.

The answer? Perfectly.

They are close on and off the floor. They have late night chats. Their wives hang out. It is, by all accounts, an ideal marriage of superstar talents.

"Last year was the breakthrough year for him, and Shaquille just sort of gave the platform," Riley said during the East finals. "I think when a player like Dwyane who's young knows Shaquille knows that he has this kind of greatness in him, I think he feels very confident. I think a lot of his confidence comes from Shaq."

O'Neal likes to call the young, star guards he's played with - first Penny Hardaway, then Bryant, now Wade - his "pupils." He said Wade has the perfect blend of humility and confidence.

"The true definition of a superstar," O'Neal said.

And maybe that's why Wade would rather people eventually use him as the benchmark for comparison when talking about greatness, instead of trying to anoint him the next Jordan.

"That'd be ideal. That'd be picture perfect," Wade said. "That's what I would like to hear, people saying 'Yeah, he was this and that' and have people in the backyard saying 'When's the next D. Wade going to come in?' That'd be special."