Dwyane Wade finished Tuesday night's 105-94 loss to the Oklahoma Thunder with 19 points and four rebounds. The Miami Heat guard struggled from the field and was far from the second half of a duo capable of carrying the team through rough stretches. Setting aside questions about the Thunder's impact on his game, Greg Cote from the Miami Herald asks if maybe age is the problem for Wade.

There was a different narrative emerging from the Heat's 105-94 loss in Game 1 here, though - certainly from a Miami perspective, at least.

Dwyane Wade looked old.

His game did, anyway. His performance did. And his ability to be his old self, meaning his younger self.

With LeBron James performing as expected, the key for this series and the championship is Wade, says Cote. Specifically, James and Wade outdueling the Thunder's twin titans of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

It is only the first game of the series.

It also might disappear in a massive comeback effort by Wade in Game 2 back here Thursday. We have seen it before. Wade down and doubted, using it as fuel, and proving everyone wrong.

Stick with this StoryStream for all your news throughout the 2012 NBA Finals. For more on the Heat, visit Peninsula Is Mightier. For the opponent's perspective throughout the series, visit Welcome To Loud City and SB Nation Kansas City. For all your Finals analysis, visit SB Nation's NBA hub.