Thursday night the Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls faced off on national television for the first time this season.

It was also Dwyane Wade‘s first time back in Miami since departing the Heat after 13 seasons. The fans showed Wade plenty of love and adoration for what he did for the city.

Though Wade didn't shed tears, the night was filled with emotion, and he was able to walk away with the win in a tightly contested game.

TNT's David Aldridge was able to interview Heat president Pat Riley in the wake of Wade's return, and Riley who faced a PR nightmare for letting Wade go now says he should've signed the Bulls star long-term years ago.

Riley told me before the game that, if he had to do it over again, in the summer of 2014, after LeBron James left and went back to Cleveland, we should have given Wade a max deal as well as Chris Bosh, as the team did. ‘That was wrong. I should have, we should have given him that. That’s a big second-guess, but that’s on me.

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In hindsight, Wade meant more to the team and the city than the price of admission. His influence, his presence, and being able to hand the keys off to the next generation made him worth every dollar he would have demanded.

In looking for the next thing, the Heat overlooked and under-appreciated what they had in their hand.