MIAMI, 4/5 - The NBA announced that Miami HEAT guard Dwyane Wade has been named the NBAs Eastern Conference Player of the Month for March. This marks the ninth time in franchise history a HEAT player has earned Player of the Month honors and marks a franchise-record fifth time Wade has received the accolades. The Phoenix Suns Amare Stoudemire was named the NBAs Western Conference Player of the Month.
Wade averaged 26.9 points, 7.5 assists, 5.4 rebounds, 2.20 steals and 1.00 blocks while shooting 49.1 percent from the floor. He scored at least 30 points six times during the month, including 11 games of 25-or-more while handing out double-figure assists on five occasions. He led the team in scoring, assists and steals 11 times each, in minutes on eight occasions, in blocks three times and in rebounds once. While helping guide Miami to an 12-3 (.800) March record, Wade posted game highs of 35 points and 12 assists against Golden State on March 2 while grabbing six rebounds and recording a team-high four steals, marking it as only the third time over the last 15 seasons a player has reached those statistical levels in the same game. He then tallied a team-high 27 points and a game-high 14 assists, including the 3,000th of his career, vs. the Los Angeles Lakers on March 4. In a 100-94 win vs. Atlanta on March 6, Wade scored a game-high 38 points and dished out a game-high 10 assists while playing in a team-high 42:00 minutes. In back-to-back playoff positioning match-ups, Wade recorded consecutive 30-point games, scoring 30 points on 9-of-14 from the field in a 87-74 win at Milwaukee and then dropped 30 points on 11-of-18 from the field in a 97-94 victory vs. Toronto. Wade finished the month having recorded at least one steal in a season-high 16 consecutive games, tying as his fifth best career streak and seventh best in franchise history.
Among league leaders this season, the two-time 2010 March NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week recipient ranks third in steals (1.90 spg), fifth in points (26.2 ppg), 10th in assists (6.6), 30th in blocks (1.06) and 32nd in minutes (36.1 mpg).
The Miami HEAT is proud to welcome Assist Card as the Presenting Sponsor for the 2009-10 HEAT season.