MIAMI _ Because he tends to be meticulous, LeBron James did not allow the moment to pass. He said he simply wasn't sure if this might have been his last moment on an NBA court with Dwyane Wade.
That, the Cleveland Cavaliers forward said, is why he lingered for those few extra moments after the Miami Heat's 98-79 victory Tuesday night at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Wade, at 36, hasn't committed to playing beyond this season, but also hasn't ruled it out, stressing that such a decision is best left for the offseason.
"At the end of the game, we just kind of had that moment like 15 years strong _ as brothers, as teammates, as competitors, as teammates again, as competitors again," James, 33, said, having entered the NBA together as lottery picks in 2003.
"But our brotherhood is beyond this game of basketball. You just don't take for granted. You just don't know. We'll see what happens in the summer."
James said he was covering all bases, with Tuesday the third and final meeting between the teams during the regular season.
"Absolutely, absolutely," James said. "Just kind of hearing the narrative since he came here, he's not quite sure what he's going to do next year. He's going to assess everything."
Wade becomes a free agent July 1, as does James.
The two came together during Tuesday's game, as well, with Wade blocking two of James' shots, leaving him with five career blocked shots against James.
James said those moments did not come up during the conversation between the two immediately after the game.
"No," James said. "That's one thing about us, we don't brag about what we do against each other. We talk about what we do against everybody else."
Wade closed with a season-high four blocked shots, utilizing his institutional knowledge against James from previous times as opponents as well as their time during practices as teammates with the Heat and Cavaliers.
"Coach talked about winning plays," Wade said of Erik Spoelstra. "That was all that was in my mind, having the opportunity to see a couple of familiar moves that he was making and to be in the right spot to be able to time it right."
The Heat and Cavaliers, and therefore Wade and LeBron, could yet meet again this season in the playoffs, in a potential No. 3-vs.-No. 6 opening-round playoff series, or possibly in a later round should both advance. With two more victories, the Heat would clinch a playoff berth, regardless of any other results.
