TORONTO -- In just about every NBA arena except Boston and Dallas -- two cities the Heat have had classic playoff battles against -- Dwyane Wade usually gets cheered pretty loudly by opposing fans.
It's what comes with being a three-time NBA champion, a Finals MVP, a Gold medal winner in the Olympics and just a good overall guy.
But everyone is expecting some loud boos tonight when the Heat face the Raptors in Game 5 at Air Canada Centre.
Wade put himself in position to receive those boos when he kept shooting through the early parts of the Canadian national anthem prior to Game 3 in Miami. Even though he's apologized for hurting the feelings of fans in Canada, and blamed what happened on the schedule change for the antem, Wade knows what's coming tonight.
And the truth is he's not too worried about it.
"I'm a visiting player. I'm coming out here to do my job," he said after shoot around Wednesday. "I expect to come out here and for it to be an amazing crowd like they always have here at home. I have a job to do -- to play basketball and try to lead my teammates."
Does getting booed hurt your feelings? "No."
Do you feed off it? "Sometimes."
Charlotte Hornets fans remember how Purple Shirt Guy changed things in Round 1 against the Heat.
Wade went off in the fourth quarter of Game 6 and lifted the Heat to a gritty road win after Purple Shirt Guy decided to get in his face and tell him to retire.
Maybe booing Wade tonight will have the same effect.
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