NBA

He's been dealing with his knee injury for the past two months of the season and he's shown signs of wearing down in these playoffs. Wade has said on multiple occasions that rest isn't going to help his knee, so he'll have to just deal with this chronic issue. He will be an important piece of Miami's plan with Paul George guarding LeBron James.

"It is what it is. I had 10 days off last time," Wade said of Miami's break after the first round. "It really doesn't matter." The Heat were guaranteed two extra days off by eliminating the Heat in five games, the last of which Wade had to leave briefly in order to have his knee worked on in the locker room. The bottom line is there's no way Wade will be 100 percent again before next season. Truth be told, he's likely at his career where he'll constantly be dealing with some sort of knee injury at this time of the season. We expect Wade to suit up for Game 1 on the conference finals, but anything after that is a guess.

They'll likely get the Pacers, who are up 3-1 on the Knicks. Wade looked fantastic after returning, and helped the Heat overcome a late deficit and hang on to win the game. Wade's knee is a mess, but he'll get some much needed time to recuperate as the Knicks and Pacers continue to battle it out in their series. LeBron James finished with 23 points, seven boards, eight assists, two steals and a 3-pointer on 5-of-14 shooting, but also hit 12-of-15 free throws to help seal the deal.

He is back on the bench in the fourth quarter and we're guessing he'll return to the game. But his right knee is a mess and he's wearing a brace to help keep his kneecap in place. The Heat are currently down 77-74 with 10 minutes left in the game.

Andersen said he told Noah that in the hallway after the Bulls halted Miami's 27-game win streak in March. If that's the case, Birdman hadn't exactly been doing a stellar job this series prior to Monday's Game 4. Noah, who is playing through plantar fasciitis, was averaging close to a double-double before Monday's six-point, nine-rebound performance that included 1-of-6 shooting from the field. Andersen has been a pretty useful piece for Miami since joining the Heat, but his impact will be limited to energy and defending the opposing team's big man.

Wade is considered a game-time decision and Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said earlier that Wade would warm up with the intention of playing. Unless there's a setback in warmups, it sounds like he'll be in the lineup as the Heat try to close out the Bulls and avoid heading back to Chicago for Game 6.

Wade's knee was good enough for him to go through shootaround, and we can't imagine the team would jeopardize his status by allowing him to participate if he wasn't able to play. It's possible the Heat hold him out as a precaution with a commanding 3-1 lead against a badly injured Bulls team, but we won't get official word until just before tipoff.