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MIAMI - The last time Dwyane Wade played in an NBA Finals game, he needed fluid drained from his left knee and eight hours of intense game-day therapy just to get into uniform. The Miami Heat guard later described it in a single word. "Hell," Wade said. It was also worth it, after he scored 23 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and hoisted his third Larry OBrien Trophy. Now, unlike last year, Wade is not dealing with any injuries heading into the Miamis finals rematch against the San Antonio Spurs. At 32 years old and with 866 NBA games already on his playing odometer, Wade still deals with plenty of aches and pains, good days and bad days, and basically has a standing appointment in the Heat training room. But compared to last seasons NBA Finals, his knees are good as new. "Hes a big-time, huge piece to our puzzle," four-time NBA MVP and Heat star LeBron James said. "To have him out there in the groove that hes in right now, its going to help us." The Heat are looking to win their third straight title and Wade is on the cusp of joining a list of all-time NBA greats. There are just seven players with four championships and at least one NBA Finals MVP award on their resumes: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, John Havlicek, Magic Johnson, Shaquille ONeal, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan and the Spurs Tim Duncan. Wade could be the eighth person in that club. "We just want to continue to add to what were accomplishing," Wade said. Almost forgotten amid all the memories of Wade limping about during last years playoffs — he whacked what was his "good" knee at this time last year, the surgically repaired left one, in a collision with the Spurs Manu Ginobili during Game 6 of the finals — is he had big games when Miami needed him. Through his first 14 games of the 2013 playoffs, Wade was averaging 13.6 points. In the final eight games of that post-season run, starting with Game 7 against Indiana, he averaged 19.8 points. And in the last four games of the finals, he averaged 23.5 points against the Spurs to close the series. As his knees got worse, Wade seemed to get better. "He still found a way last year," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "He really did. He had some of his biggest games not only in the finals, but Game 7, we didnt think necessarily he was going to even play that game in the Eastern Conference finals." This year, the Heat tried to leave nothing to chance with Wades health. The so-called maintenance plan for Wade — limiting his minutes to save his knees — kicked in on the second night of the regular season. He wound up missing 28 games in all, mostly because of that rest-and-rehab scheme, to ensure that he would be good to go in the playoffs. The results cant be argued. Wade is averaging 18.7 points on 52 per cent shooting, Miami is 12-3 in the playoffs and when getting more than three days rest — like the Heat will have before Game 1 in San Antonio on Thursday night — the perennial All-Star has had games of 23, 14, 27 and 23 points on a combined 60 per cent shooting. "Dwyane is playing great," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Tuesday. "He looks a lot more spry and ready to go then he did last year in the finals." Maybe the biggest payoff of the regular-season maintenance plan has been how Wade has closed games in this post-season. Wade is shooting 56 per cent in fourth quarters during the playoffs, the best clip of his career and the best percentage of any guard with more than 30 shots in the final period of post-season games this season. San Antonios Danny Green is second on that list, shooting just under 49 per cent. Wade doesnt like talking about his place in history. But he knows what rarefied air he would be entering with a fourth title run. "I think weve all put ourselves in great situations, and were just going to continue to try to enjoy this moment that were in because its an amazing moment," Wade said. "Its something that, for a lifetime, is going to fulfil us as athletes. Even when we cant play this game, were going to always be able to talk about this." And now, when talking about his health, Wade has another one-word answer: "Better." Cheap Satchel Paige Jersey . Kuper, a fifth-round pick in Denvers 2006 draft, started 79 games at guard over eight seasons. He dislocated his left ankle in the last game of the 2011 regular season, and though he started another seven games after that, he never returned to his previous level. 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Mike Trout, Josh Hamilton and Kole Calhoun all homered to help the Los Angeles Angels get their first win of the season with an 11-1 rout of the Houston Astros. After being swept in a three-game series against Seattle to begin the season and scoring just eight runs over the three games, the Angels equaled that in the first six innings Friday. "I think with a game like this, hopefully, we build confidence," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "Hopefully, on the offensive side we build confidence." Trout hit a solo homer in the first inning and Hamilton hit a three-run drive in the sixth off Jerome Williams that made it 8-1. After Erick Aybars RBI single, Calhoun added a two-run shot off Williams in the seventh. "As competitors, five out of eight games, we are capable of doing something like that," Hamilton said. "The talent is there. We dont go out and try to do that every day. We go out and have the at bats we are going to have. Thats contagious. Thats the mentality we have." Trout also threw out Marc Krauss at the plate in the second inning to keep the Astros off the scoreboard. Garrett Richards (1-0) allowed one run on three hits with five walks and seven strikeouts in five innings. "Its not just me, its all of us," Trout said. "It just happens that I got a home run, but look at Josh tonight. . We just have to keep pushing together, and we pitched well tonight with Garrett getting out of some battles and jams." Lucas Harrell ((0-1) was roughed up for five runs on seven hits with three walks and three strikeouts in three innings.dddddddddddd "With a lineup like that, they have so many good hitters you cant leave the ball over the plate like that," Harrell said. "You go from one hitter to the next, and there is no let-up. Thats why they are so good. You have to execute your pitches every time. I just left it over the plate too many times." Jose Altuve had two hits and a bases-loaded walk in the fifth inning. The Astros loaded the bases in the fifth and sixth innings but were only able to get the one run as Richards struck out Krauss to end the fifth and Fernando Salas struck out Marwin Gonzalez and induced an Alex Presley ground out to end the sixth. NOTES: Astros outfielder Dexter Fowler was out of the lineup and not at the park because of a stomach illness. Fowler was in the hospital with the stomach issue and having tests run, Porter said after the game, and Porter said he would have more details Saturday. Through three games, Fowler is hitting .500 with a home run and three RBIs. He recorded his third consecutive multi-hit game Thursday night. ... Houston catcher Jason Castro was out with a bruise on his right foot but said he feels much better on Friday. Castro is day to day. ... Aybar picked up his 900th career hit with the single in the seventh. He became the third Angels shortstop to reach that mark joining Jim Fregosi and Gary DiSarcina. ... Houston will send left-hander Dallas Keuchel to the mound against Los Angeles left-hander Tyler Skaggs in the second game of the four-game series. 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