On Nov. 20, Wade did everything he could to help his team, posting 33 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, but his efforts were not enough to prevent an embarrassing 107-94 loss to the then-winless Toronto Raptors.

Those games are perfect examples of one thing: Wade cannot be blamed for the Heat's struggles. He is sixth in the league in scoring. He has led Miami in scoring in 11 of its 15 games, and has led in assists in 12 of those games.

His 33-point performance was enough to lead Miami to a 107-94 victory over New York on Monday, but their game Wednesday night may prove to be more important.

Wade did not score in the first or fourth quarters of the game against Atlanta, and finished with 20 points, a sub-standard night for him. Despite his struggles, Miami was able to win its first road game 96-74. This is the best news to hit Miami since Shaq's cast came off, because the key to the rest of Miami's season will not depend on Wade's performance, which has proven to be consistently good, but the performance of his teammates.