On Tuesday, the Cleveland Cavaliers pulled off one of the comebacks of the season to remain within touching distance of the first-place Boston Celtics.
Dean Wade was the hero on the night with a stunning shooting display that Steph Curry himself would have been proud of.
At one stage, the Cavaliers trailed by 22 points with just nine minutes left. Led by the boisterous 19,432 fans in Cleveland, Wade took over in the fourth quarter scoring 20 points to guide the Cavs to an improbable 105-104 victory. The 27-year-old single-handedly outscored Boston in the final quarter (20-17), recording five three-pointers and a clutch put back dunk with 20 seconds left.
DEAN WADE UNREAL 4Q PERFORMANCE 🤯🔥
Dean Wade 4Q: 20 PTS
Celtics 4Q: 17 PTS pic.twitter.com/xX4SRy8vsL
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 6, 2024
The 22-point fightback was biggest fourth-quarter comeback in the franchise’s history.
With Super Bowl winning tight end Travis Kelce and his brother Jason in the stands, this was an extra special night for the Kansas native. Wade, born in Wichita, grew up a Kansas City Chiefs fan. Asked during the postgame conference about pulling off a career-high 23 points in front of Chiefs legend Travis Kelce, he seemed at a loss for words.
“It was pretty cool,” said Wade.
After the game, cameras caught the Kelce brothers showering the former Kansas State forward with some love.
Travis Kelce hyped for tonight's hero Dean Wade! pic.twitter.com/hsaCyjQjfG
— NBA (@NBA) March 6, 2024
The victory, which ended the Celtics league-best 11-game win streak, came down to the wire with a late foul review on Jayson Tatum going in favor of the home team.
The Cleveland Cavaliers improved to 40-21 on the season but remain half a game behind the Milwaukee Bucks and eight games behind the Celtics in the Eastern Conference. They face a difficult upcoming schedule with the Atlanta Hawks next followed by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
