Dwyane Wade comfortable in Miami, coming off bench

Feb. 10 (UPI) -- It didn't take long for fans to demand Dwyane Wade's presence on the court in his return to the Miami Heat.

It happened less than 10 minutes into the Heat's 91-85 victory Friday against the Milwaukee Bucks at AmericanAirlines Arena.

A sellout crowd of more than 20,000 serenaded the 15-year veteran after he wasn't named in the Heat's starting lineup. Wade was traded to Miami on Thursday from the Cleveland Cavaliers.

"We want Wade! We Want Wade!" the crowd changed.

And with 5:19 to go in the first quarter, those fans neck-deep in nostalgia had their request granted.

Wade only played 22 minutes on Friday. He scored three points, had two rebounds, two assists, two blocks and four turnovers.

But for a brief moment, Heat fans could have closed their eyes and gone back in time. AmericanAirlines Arena's walls swelled with sounds as ear piercing as a too-close police siren.

The ovation lasted nearly a minute and Wade raised his left hand up to the sky in acknowledgement.

No this wasn't Game 7 of the NBA Finals. It was a game in February against the Bucks.

"If you don't have those feelings, you don't have a heartbeat," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said after the game. "That's why you play this game, is to have these kind of moments."

While the atmosphere felt like a postseason game, Wade said his nerves felt normal.

"I actually felt normal," Wade said after the game. "[Spoelstra] said he felt a little weird seeing me on the bench to start the game. But I actually felt normal once the game started it becomes a game."

Wade is now 37:50 minutes away from clocking 37,000 minutes -- including the postseason -- while wearing a Heat uniform.

The 12-time All-Star and three-time NBA champion spent his first 13 seasons in the Magic City after being selected No. 5 overall in the 2003 NBA Draft.

While Wade didn't fill up the box score Friday, he did make a few winning plays.

One of those came in crunch time. The Heat held an 85-81 lead with 38 seconds remaining when the Bucks took off in transition after a turnover. Bucks guard Eric Bledsoe drove in on Wade, trying to cut the deficit to one possession. But Wade extended his arms and rejected Bledsoe's layup attempt, keeping the Heat advantage intact.

"If you had to describe his career over the span of all these years in Miami it's about his ability to capture moments and you feel those moments when he's in a Heat uniform," Spoelstra said. "Even this game tonight only 22 minutes, but these are moments you remember."

The Heat battle the Toronto Raptors at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Air Canada Centre.

Wade, 36, is averaging a career-low 11.2 points and 23.2 minutes per game this season. Despite his future-Hall-of-Famer status, Wade said Friday that he can handle another role off of the bench in Miami.

"I finally got in a groove," Wade said. "I had to learn how to get prepared to come into a game coming off the bench. I like it right now for my career and the point I'm at. If coach needs me to get in there and start for a game or two, call my number and I'll do it."