MIAMI - This is why Dwyane Wade rested. This is why the Miami Heat opted to go without their longtime franchise player for so many nights this season, why teammates hoped their frustrations about playing without him for 28 regular-season games would ultimately be rewarded, why he often seemed more comfortable in a suit than a uniform. News flash: The regular season didnt mean all that much to Wade and the Heat. Everything about the Miami franchise revolves around chasing more titles, and Wade is doing his part. He and the two-time defending NBA champion Heat will take a 2-1 series lead over the Indiana Pacers into Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals on Monday night, and Wade — who is playing without any significant injury issues at this point of the season for the first time in years — is looking as good as he has in months. "Im in the groove and the flow that I want to be in, and also understanding that the game of basketball is tricky," Wade said. "You can get out of it in a second, and youve got to figure out a way still to compete and help your teammates win." True, but that groove hes in is a pretty good one. Heres how good hes been in the fourth quarters of these East finals: Wade has as many field goals in those three final periods — 13 — as any other two players in the series combined to this point. Hes shooting 72 per cent in fourth quarters in this series, including a 6-for-7 effort in the last 12 minutes of Game 1 and a 5-for-5 showing in the final period of Game 2. "Weve got to make him a little bit more uncomfortable than he is," Pacers forward David West said. "Hes just playing the game at way too high of a comfort level in terms of were just not putting enough pressure on him. All the guys on the floor need to guard him and get him out of his comfort zone. Hes really lining his shots up, taking his time, which we cant allow. "He just cant be as comfortable as hes been." That sounds like things opponents were saying about Wade before the summer of 2010, when he helped lure LeBron James and Chris Bosh to Miami and formed the core of a team that is two wins from a fourth straight East title. But after hearing plenty of talk in recent years that his game isnt so much declining as it is freefalling, Wade seems to be reveling in the reminders that, yes, he can still be among the elite players in the NBA. The show Wade is putting on is so good right now that James wouldnt even leave to get some much-needed treatment for a hamstring cramp late in the third quarter of Game 3 until seeing what the 2006 NBA Finals MVP was going to do on Miamis final possession of the period. Wade wound up connecting on a 3-pointer, after which James immediately hobbled off, basically unable to work one of his legs. Worth it, James said. "Thats what our team is built for," James said. "When one of the guys goes out, were able to still hold the fort. Its great to see the way he closed out the quarter. The way hes been playing in the conference finals. We need it all." James never really hid his frustration about playing without Wade, though it never rose to the level of any obvious locker-room rancour, either. Whether they liked it or not, the Heat understood the plan for Wade and why it was crucial to preserve his balky knees with hopes that he would be at his best for the biggest time of the year. So far, so good. And Wades confidence — which wasnt perfect after he had to miss nine games late in the regular season because of a hamstring injury, an absence not related to the maintenance plan — is as high now as its been all season. "You need it, no question about it. We all do," Wade said. "So for me, the first round was me just kind of trying to get my footing a little bit, trying to do some of the things that I was capable of doing, trying to see if I could do it. Then the second round came a little more and then the third round. Like I said, ideally for me, missing the last 2 1/2 weeks wasnt ideal, but thats what happened." Its also now forgotten. He might not be the guy Heat President Pat Riley used to call "BIW" — short for best in the world — anymore, but Wade at his best makes Miami look its best. "Dwyane understands his game and where hes effective as much as anybody in this league," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "Thats why youre seeing a shooting guard shooting an incredibly efficient field goal percentage that he does, and its gone up the last two years. He knows how to get to his spots." Fake NBA Jerseys . -- Keith Aulie has joined the Tampa Bay Lightning. Fake Football Jerseys .Michael Briscoe is serving a life sentence for sexual assault, kidnapping and first-degree murder in the death of 13-year-old Nina Courtepatte in 2005. http://www.fakejersey.com/fake-puma-jerseys/. "Yes, Id like to get them in," Detroits rookie manager said. "Mother Natures going to have a say in that." Sure enough, the Tigers had their game against the Kansas City Royals postponed because of rain on Thursday. Fake Jerseys Free Shipping . Aaron Hill and Cliff Pennington hit home runs in the first inning for the Diamondbacks, who beat the Miami Marlins 3-2 on Friday night. Fake NFL Jerseys .What they got was a bevy of players chipping in to pick up the slack.Josh Smith scored 18 points and James Harden added 17 as the Rockets used a balanced scoring effort to outlast the Mavericks for a 99-94 victory.Happy birthday to Stephen Ames. And this is not just any birthday. Today, the Calgarian turns the big Five-Oh. So is the four-time winner on the PGA Tour happy about his big day? "Hell no. Its 50! Who wants to get there?" Ames chuckled in mock protest. "Actually, Im OK with it - its just a number." But its a big number, one that makes him eligible for the Champions Tour, that career mulligan circuit for the older set. He will make his official debut as an Old Guy on May 22 at the Senior PGA Championship, one of that tours five majors. "I look at it as being fortunate," Ames said, "because I have another place to play. Someone referred to it the other day as the back nine of my career. For me, it means I have 15 more years of golf and having fun with it and not having to worry about a job or a pay cheque coming in. Im pretty much set - its nice." Ames is ready to compete on the Champions Tour and thinks he can play well. Compared to many of the older guys, hes in great shape. His back problems that troubled him years ago havent been an issue for some time and in preparation for his move to the 50-and-over tour, hes lost 11 pounds. "Ive been working out hard," he said, "doing some hard cardio. Its not about weights for me, its cardio and all of a sudden the weight started dropping off. I was a size 35 pant and now Im slipping into 32s." Ames, who is being inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame later this year, has also been working hard on his game, adding some distance to his drives and concentrating on his scoring clubs. Those will come in handy on a tour where the courses are 7,000 yards as opposed to the 7,500 hes been playing. "I expect to play well," he stated. "The only difference is that instead of hitting 3-irons into greens, Ill be hitting 9-irons." After years of working with Sean Foley, Ames parted ways with the guy he brought to the PGA Tour last year. The two remain ffriendly but Ames found it hard to get time on Foleys busy schedule.dddddddddddd So hes been seeing Calgary swing coach Paul Horton, and is happy with the new relationship. "The changes Im making, Im understanding them and Im starting to hit it further, which is a bit scary," he said. "The hard thing were struggling with right now is keeping it on the golf course. Thats just because Im not quite secure with it yet. But overall, Im definitely seeing the difference. Im not as short as the numbers are saying right now." In addition to less mileage on the scorecard, Ames is also looking forward to the more relaxed atmosphere on the Champions Tour, which he says will fit his personality. Its definitely a fan-friendly circuit and the out-going Ames believes hell enjoy that part of it, something thats been missing from the current PGA Tour. "Im going to get to be me a little more," he said. "The guys out here [on the PGA Tour] as so serious and stern-faced and there are no smiles... Im still enjoying it out here but its tougher and so thats why Im really looking forward to the Champions Tour." Ames will spend this year going back and forth between the two tours, playing 20 on the PGA Tour and filling in the rest of the season on the Champions Tour. For the first time in his career, hell also get a home game, teeing it up in the Shaw Charity Classic, the stop in Calgary. Sleeping in his own bed while playing a tournament is something hes never done, but hes looking forward to helping the tournament become even more successful than its maiden run last year. As he did on the PGA Tour, Ames will take to the Champions Tour in his own way. On the course, he should be a contender with that silky smooth swing of his. Off it, he will be the same guy too -- he never worries much about what others think and hes not afraid to say whats on his mind. Thats refreshing. Stephen Ames leads a stress-free life and thats a good way to be. ' ' '