Madison Square Garden is one of the most prominent arenas in the NBA. There is this belief that playing at the New York Knicks' home floor usually brings out the best in the superstars from the opposing teams. Fans have witnessed epic performances at MSG from guys like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony.

Now, as the Miami Heat pay the home team a visit, All-Star guard and three-time champion Dwyane Wade has admitted that it's one of his favorite places to play basketball.

In an interview with Marc Berman of the New York Post, Wade admitted that aside from the Heat's home floor, MSG has a special place in his heart.

“It’s been great to play here. Besides playing at home, it’s my favorite place to play. Because of what it means — the history of MSG. It’s great to have one more here. I’m glad we had two games here this year — not one. I’m going to enjoy it. The crowd’s going to be great, the energy’s going to be amazing but the ultimate goal is to win. But I’ll definitely enjoy the environment.’’

“It’s a lot of greater arenas in the NBA, but it’s something about MSG that is just special — even when it was not upgraded,’’ Wade said. “I say that very nicely. For us, Miami Heat nation is always strong here. We have a home-crowd kind of feel. It’s everything. It’s the lights. It’s the way the floor is. It makes it different.’’

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Dwyane Wade will be playing his final game at the Big Apple when Miami visits New York on Saturday, as he is set to retire after this season. He's career high versus the Knicks is 55 points, which he set in 2009 — although he didn't do it at MSG.

The Heat are currently the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, and a win against the Knicks could help them tighten their hold in the final postseason spot. They are currently in a neck-and-neck race with the Orlando Magic, who are just half a game behind them in the conference standings.