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Wade Practices Fully For Heat Before Game 1

MIAMI (CBS4) – Game one of the NBA Finals is only a day away. Heat fans are ready and the team is ready too. The Heat took to the court at the AmericanAirlines Arena Monday for a full contact practice and a little promotion.

LeBron James got his first look at the finals logos on the team's home floor Monday, saying he wanted to soak up the atmosphere. He even held the championship trophy in a promotional photo shoot for ABC, which will broadcast the finals against the Dallas Mavericks starting Tuesday night. James says he's honored to be back on the NBA finals.

James was swept in his only other finals appearance, four years ago with Cleveland against San Antonio. His life has changed in countless ways since. And with one goal in mind -- an NBA title.

During practice Monday, it was the first time since eliminating the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night in five games in the Eastern Conference finals, the Heat hit and hit hard with full contact. Coach Erik Spoelstra actually cut the practice a little short because the guys were hitting a little too hard.

Guard Dwyane Wade was back on the floor for practice after he and three other players were held out of contact work Sunday. Spoelstra says everyone is ready to go. Wade has heard many questions about his health in recent days and began his pre-finals news conference on Monday by saying "I'm not hurt" before anyone could even ask.

(©2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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