I would say the two biggest examples of how Wade can help were in game 3 and 5...Games where Cleveland had clearly figured out to at least patch up the defense and give up the right looks...well I'll break down the two separately (IMO)
Game 3 - pretty easy, you can compare this to game 4 of the year prior in terms of how it went, albeit to different extremes. Cleveland looked pretty in charge for the first 3 quarters, and in game 4's case, even down to the last few minutes of the 4th, but the wheels just came off for the big 2. Its almost the same story, Bron was completely ineffective, seemingly burnt out when it mattered, and Kyrie, who gave an equal if not better offensive performance, wasnt able to maintain the pace well enough at any point for Bron to sit. The rest of the team contributed largely nothing, and once the offense flamed out from the leading duo, no one else could turn it on and give assistance. Wade could've potentially resolved this situation by giving Kyrie a respectable facilitator to handle that part while Bron sat down at some point during the early to mid 4th. Would've gave him more juice to close out better
Game 5 - This one is alot harder to resolve off of stats (because the game did appear to be pretty evenly distributed amongst the stars and help for CLE), but Wade does allow a massive turning point in this game to not occur. Other than the bullshyt ignorance to KD not getting his 3rd foul in the first quarter (which he should've), Bron subs out like last quarter, maybe 2 minutes to go? Kyrie immediately goes into tunnel vision mode. Early 2nd, Deron subs in, immediately gets ripped, stolen, commits a myriad of turnovers. Cleveland is already in like a 10 to 12-0 hole in the beginning of the 2nd, immediately losing a 4 pt 1st qtr advantage that could've been even larger after all the effort it seemed like Cleveland put. They'd go on to lose that quarter by 15 points following a 28-4 run. They actually won the 3rd, but by that point it was just too late. What Wade does is basically the same thing, he doesnt allow the train to completely go off the rails when Bron goes out.
What Wade brings for this second unit may not be enough to outright beat GSW currently, but it at least gives Bron and the coaching staff the knowledge that they can trust a tried and true veteran to not completely shut down the offense during times of rest. He also gives Isaiah some assistance as he's presumably running with the twos to get reconnected with in-game motions. Last year, Bron and Kyrie-less 2nd units featured Deron and a bunch of ball stoppers. Between IT and Wade, two guys who have starred in stellar motion systems, the ball should at least keep moving
