Boston Celtics fans got some bad flashbacks this week.
The Celtics stunningly lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday by a 105-104 final score. What made the loss so surprising was that the Cavs were without Donovan Mitchell, who is out with a bone bruise in his knee, and that the Celtics were up big in the fourth quarter. Boston led by 16 points heading into that final frame and held a 93-71 advantage with only nine minutes left in the contest. With the NBA-best Celtics riding an active 11-game winning streak, many thought that the game was long over.
But that is when Cavs forward Dean Wade caught fire. Coming off the bench for Cleveland, Wade scored 20 of his 23 points in the fourth, including five triples as well as the game-winning putback dunk with 19 seconds left.
D Wade with the game-winning putback!
The Cavs (+290 ML) overcame a 22-point deficit to beat the Celtics 🤯
📽️: @NBA | #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/xoNZxuqTsh
— FanDuel Sportsbook (@FDSportsbook) March 6, 2024
Wade’s impressive scoring display to lead his team to the win had everyone on social media making the same joke — that the Celtics were once again getting torched by a D-Wade.
celtics always getting cooked by a d. wade https://t.co/UZVsNaAzxK
— michael (@3MWD__) March 6, 2024
D. Wade just took down the Celtics pic.twitter.com/d81zAZCv6k
— Ball Don’t Lie (@Balldontlie) March 6, 2024
The Celtics are getting cooked by D Wade in big 2024 pic.twitter.com/hqaEj1z24K
— 👑 𝓝𝓲𝓬𝓴 👑 (@neverbeenequal) March 6, 2024
D Wade beat the Celtics?! 🤣 pic.twitter.com/Swi6e2A1RA
— MJO23DAN (@MJO23DAN) March 6, 2024
D. Wade cooking the Celtics https://t.co/Vtn7nFFvk7 pic.twitter.com/mRDsAv0odT
— Ransom Godard (@FrenchDogWave) March 6, 2024
Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade gave the Celtics countless buckets over the years, including in consecutive playoff victories over them from 2011-12. Even in the one year that the Celtics got the better of Wade and the Heat in the 2009 playoffs, Wade still had one of the finest individual series of his career, dropping a 33-6-7 line on them.
As such, the Celtics can’t have been thrilled about getting barbecued by a D-Wade yet again. The fifth-year forward Dean Wade is clearly a baller though and gave the Cavs fans something else to be really happy about on Tuesday.
