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Wade: 'Chicagoans Are Proud Of Chicagoans'

CHICAGO (CBS) Not too long ago, former Oak Lawn Richards High School star Dwyane Wade received a nice welcoming when his Miami Heat made the trip to the United Center, but that's no longer the case.

After an offseason that resulted in some Chicago Bulls fans feeling slighted by Wade, and with the Heat threatening to eliminate the Bulls from the playoffs, he's now greeted much the way that LeBron James is.

But Wade says he still feels the love from his hometown, despite the boos.

"I'm a Chicagoan, and no matter what they say and hear, and no matter what they do, Chicagoans are proud of Chicagoans at the end of the day," Wade told the media after the Miami shootaround on Thursday.

But there's another Chicagoan, Derrick Rose, who holds the hopes and dreams of Bulls fans in his hands. Rose and the Bulls are faced with a daunting task: win three games before the Heat win one, or the season is over.

That task would be easier if the Heat started to look ahead to a matchup with the Dallas Mavericks for the NBA Title, but it doesn't seem like that'll happen, as the Bulls still have the Heat's complete attention.

"Tonight is the biggest game of our career," Wade said of himself and his teammates. "That's the way we are looking at it, that's the way we are approaching it...especially of our young career together as a tandem and as a group. So we look forward to it as competitors. We want to win the championship, just like everyone in the NBA. We want to win the championship, so we just have to finish it."

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