MIAMI -- Dwyane Wade didn't start the second half of Game 6 because of a stiff knee from banging into Manu Ginobili in the first half. 

"Early in the game I took a good shot right on my left knee and that's the knee I had surgery on," Wade said Wednesday. "That kind of trauma to it at that moment, it just swelled up. At halftime I was trying to do as much as I can, treatment. I need a certain amount if time, so I told them to make sure they start Ray [Allen] in that quarter.

"It was stiff," he said. "I couldn't do as much as I wanted to. I just tried to do whatever I could."

Said coach Erik Spoelstra: "I knew he was going to come back out. I just didn't know at what time."

Wade clearly struggled in the second half and was actually on the bench as the Heat made their big run to close the gap on the Spurs to start the fourth quarter. 

The Heat shooting guard has battled injury all postseason long, most notably with his right knee where he's been dealing with an annoying bone bruise. Because of it, he's had some off nights where he's looked really bad, but at times has shown flashes of the old Flash, most notably in Game 4 against the Spurs where he scored 32. 

Wade said he woke up to a "swollen" and "stiff" left knee but assured he would be fine for Game 7.

"There's one game left," he said. "Whatever you have inside of you, you muster it up, you give it. So I'll be fine."