Forward Udonis Haslem dripped with sweat as he walked off the practice court Friday, the Heat’s final cram session before the playoffs start Saturday.

The comeback is almost complete.

As the postseason begins, Haslem, who was sidelined with a foot injury for most of the regular season, said that he is close to returning to action. He ruptured a tendon in his left foot Nov. 20 at Memphis. The injury required surgery and months of rehabilitation.

“My legs are there, but my timing is off,” Haslem said. “I’m going to be sore [Friday]; I’m going to be sore [Saturday]. The key is how fast can I get that soreness out and kind of get back to a situation where I can play again.”

Haslem said he believes he could play Saturday, but that seems unlikely. Coach Erik Spoelstra said Friday that Haslem will do “light work or nothing at all” Saturday and Sunday.

Although Haslem’s return isn’t eminent, Friday was a major milestone in his recovery. He participated in most of the Heat’s contact drills, and having the Heat’s co-captain on the court boosted the spirits of his teammates.

“He’s been building up to this,” Spoelstra said. “He wanted to be out here [Friday] for the first practice whatever the cost of that means in the next couple days.”

After Friday’s physical practice, Heat forward Chris Bosh seemed convinced that Haslem was ready for a return.

“You take it easy on U.D. then you’re going to get hurt because he’s not taking it easy,” Bosh said. “U.D., he’s a warrior.”

RILEY SPEAKS

Heat president Pat Riley has taken a behind-the-scenes approach this season, but he came out of hiding Friday to speak at length with Heat on-air personality Jason Jackson on WAXY 790.

Riley said he was pleased with the Heat’s 58-win season but noted that the difference between the Heat and the league’s best mark (the Bulls won 62 games) was Miami’s home record. The Heat lost 11 games at AmericanAirlines Arena whereas the Bulls lost only five at home.

“I look back at it, I try to figure out why don’t we have just this incredible home-court advantage and where we’re winning 36, 37 games a year at home, so that’s the difference,” Riley said during the radio interview.

Riley called Haslem’s foot injury “the tragedy of the season” and said if both Haslem and swingman Mike Miller were healthy throughout the season then “we would have had a much better record.”

During the interview, Riley compared Heat forward LeBron James to guard Jerry West of the Lakers’ ’71-’72 championship season. Riley was a reserve on that team.

“Jerry reminded me a lot of what LeBron did this year,” Riley said. “Jerry West was 25 points a game. He would average six rebounds, nine assists. He became more of an across-the-board-type player.”

Riley said Chicago’s Derrick Rose, the favorite to win the league MVP award, captured the imagination of the NBA this season and had “a great, great year,” but added that James and Dwyane Wade should have received more recognition.

“I’m biased and I watch [James] play all season long and whether it’s LeBron or whether it’s Dwyane, both of them at 25 or 26 points a game, you can’t deny both of them should have been in more contention,” Riley said.

“Hats off if it goes to Derrick, but I think our guy has an MVP season in himself, but he’s already won it twice so he wants to win a championship, and I hope that’s the only thing that counts.”

POSTED: Friday, April 15, 2011

UPDATED: 2:42 pm EDT April 15, 2011

MIAMI (AP) — Heat guard Dwyane Wade is in the starting lineup for Miami’s game Friday night against the Charlotte Bobcats.

Wade has been battling a deeply bruised right thigh for nearly a week. He did not play in Miami’s 90-85 loss to Milwaukee on Wednesday, then was able to do some on-court work Thursday and joined the Heat for their shootaround practice Friday morning.

Wade says he went through a strenuous workout, then pronounced himself fit to play later in the day.

Wade is the NBA’s No. 3 scorer this season at 25.7 points per game. Miami enters Friday tied with Boston for the No. 2 spot in the Eastern Conference.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

MIAMI (AP) — Heat guard Dwyane Wade is expected to play in Miami’s game Friday night against the Charlotte Bobcats.

Wade has been battling a deeply bruised right thigh for nearly a week. He did not play in Miami’s 90-85 loss to Milwaukee on Wednesday, then was able to do some on-court work Thursday and joined the Heat for their shootaround practice Friday morning.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra says Wade’s status will be evaluated again shortly before game time.

Wade is the NBA’s No. 3 scorer this season at 25.7 points per game. Miami enters Friday tied with Boston for the No. 2 spot in the Eastern Conference.

Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade participated in the team’s morning shootaround Friday. His status is probable for Friday night’s game against the Charlotte Bobcats.

Wade bruised his right thigh Sunday when he collided with Nets reserve Travis Outlaw. The third-leading scorer in the NBA (25.7 points per game), Wade sat out the Heat’s loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday.

“I’m sore but I came in, got some good treatment, got some good work in before the shootaround, so I felt I could go,” Wade said.

Miami (54-24) is tied with Boston – which lost Thursday night to Chicago – for the No. 2 playoff seed in the Eastern Conference, but Boston leads the season series 3-0. Miami can clinch the No. 2 seed if it wins its final four regular-season games, including a home game Sunday against the Celtics.

Wade said Friday morning that the Celtics’ loss Thursday night had nothing to do with his status for Friday night.

“Absolutely not,” Wade said. “It just felt better from the work I put in.”

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said during the Heat’s shootaround that he wanted the team’s intensity level on Friday night to rival that of a playoff game.

“We have to get in playoff mode with our urgency,” Spoelstra said.

The simple act of straightening his leg caused Heat guard Dwyane Wade severe pain Monday.

Discomfort persisted Tuesday.

On Wednesday, Wade watched as his team lost an important game to the Milwaukee Bucks.

On Thursday, Wade indicated he could have played against the Bucks but didn’t want to be a “liability” on the defensive end of the court.

The point is this: Days matter more than games at this point in the regular season. With the playoffs fast approaching, health means more than a loss, playoff seeding and potential home-court advantage in the second round of the postseason.

Four games — nine or 10 days — remain until the Heat begins the playoffs. Miami (54-24) plays the Charlotte Bobcats on Friday at AmericanAirlines Arena. It’s the Heat’s second-to-last home game of the regular season and Wade, who bruised his thigh Sunday against the Nets, didn’t know Thursday if he would be ready for a return to the court.

What Wade does know: He’s ready for the playoffs to start.

On Thursday inside the Heat’s practice facility at AmericanAirlines Arena, Wade jokingly asked reporters how many games were left in the regular season. In other words, he has playoff fever.

“How many games?” Wade said. “Four? Five? Please bring them on. Let’s get them over with and get to the playoffs.

“We’re ready.”

Wade didn’t practice with his team Thursday but did participate in a few exercises to test the strength of his leg, which he said has lacked “explosion” since colliding with Nets reserve Travis Outlaw. Wade injured his thigh in the first half against the Nets and returned to finish the game after being evaluated by the Heat’s training staff.

The next step in Wade’s return will take place Friday morning before the team’s shootaround. If the thigh bruise responds well overnight, then Wade might be available. If not, he will watch his team from the bench once again.

“Monday, I wasn’t positive at all about even Friday, that’s how much pain I was in,” Wade said. “But [Wednesday] was a good day treatment-wise and [Thursday] I woke up feeling even better, so it’s been progressing every day — it’s better and better. It’s just about when I feel I can get out there and do the things I do.”

The Heat struggled Wednesday without its star guard, who is third in the NBA in scoring (27.5 points a game). Miami shot 40.5 percent and, defensively, allowed the Bucks to gain confidence throughout the game with open driving lanes to the basket. Milwaukee finished with 42 points in the paint.

“Sometimes we take the hard way,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “[Wednesday] night was the hard way. So we had to come back, watch some film, learn from our mistakes, get back together and get ready for a win.”

The Heat entered Thursday a half game behind the Celtics for second in the Eastern Conference standings. The Celtics played the Bulls on Thursday night in an important game, but Wade said the game’s outcome would not have an impact on whether he returns against the Bobcats on Friday.

The Celtics, 3-0 against the Heat, hold a playoff tie-breaker if both teams have identical records at the end of the regular season.

“We’re just ready to get to the playoffs and ready to get to that time of the year — what we all came together for,” Wade said.