Actress Gabrielle Union, girlfriend of Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade, says her man couldn’t sleep the night before winning the NBA title Thursday.
He stayed at the gym until 1:30 a.m., working out with a trainer. Then he showered and went home, where Wade and Union watched game film from last year’s loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Afterwards, around 4 a.m., they went to bed. But Union says Wade tossed and turned until 8 a.m., when he rolled out of bed and called his teammate LeBron James.
“What they wanted to do today, more than anything, was to play a complete game of basketball,” Union told Sports Illustrated magazine.
She said the two best friends drew up a blueprint over the phone for game 5, detailing exactly how they were going to lead their team to victory.
Despite the fact that the Heatboyz steamrolled over the hapless Thunder to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the series, Wade and James knew they hadn’t played their best game.
“This is just a testament to hard work, admitting mistakes and making adjustments,” Union said. “It’s not just the obvious mistakes that everybody wants to harp on and has been harping on. It’s the little things. It’s the missed defensive rotations. It’s giving up easy buckets. It’s not looking for the open man. It’s hero-ball. Those little mistakes.”
Photos: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images North America; Reuters Pictures, AP
