It likely will come down to the final week of the Miami Heat's season if not the final game to determine if there is to be more for Dwyane Wade.
It is something that the 37-year-old icon wants as much for his teammates as himself, with Tuesday night's showdown at AmericanAirlines Arena against the Orlando Magic likely to go a long way toward determining the likelihood of a 14th appearance in the playoffs.
"I love the playoffs," he said in the wake of the Heat's 3-1 trip that concluded with Saturday's victory over the Washington Wizards. "I think it's important for obviously this franchise, which doesn't play for (lottery) Ping-Pong balls."
And important to pass along playoff experience, something only he and Udonis Haslem have in abundance on this roster.
"It's important for the young guys to get more experience in the playoffs, so when they look at the lists of how many playoff games, me and UD are at the top and it's a big drop-off from there," Wade said. "So more experience is needed for this organization going forward with this youth."
Yet while the playoffs are where much of Wade's legacy rests, it's not as if it is a mandatory ending when it comes to NBA eminence.
In fact, many of the game's greatest names had no postseason attached to their final act.
