Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE
MIAMI- It may have taken a year and a half, but when it counted the most, Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh, came through and showed everybody why he was part of The Big Three with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.
It was game seven of the Eastern Conference Finals, where the Heat after battling found themselves on the brink of elimination vs the Boston Celtics, where Bosh had his breakout game scoring 19 points and three key threes that sent the Heat back to the NBA Finals for the second consecutive season.
After going down in game one of the semi-finals of the Eastern Conference playoffs, the Heat seemed to struggle a little bit without Bosh, allowing teams to key on Wade and James without worrying about anybody else. Bosh’s injury was also key in James move to the power forward position which paid huge dividends for the Heat.
After a six game struggle, that included James putting up 45 points and 15 rebounds in game six , it was Bosh, who came through for the Heat when they needed him the most in game seven of the Eastern Conference Finals, which so happened to be Bosh’s first game back. Bosh’s success continued through the NBA Finals as well despite a position change.
Due to the success of James moving to the four position and Shane Battier to the three, Bosh after game one of the NBA Finals was moved back into the starting line-up, but at the center position.
At 6’11″ and 235 pounds, Bosh, never played the center position in his career, and was a traditional four man that liked to face up rather than having his back to the basketball. Say what you want about Bosh, but most Heat players will tell you that Bosh was the missing piece that propelled them over Boston and that helped them against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
In the Finals, Bosh averaged 14.6 PPG, 9.4 RBG, but it was his defense that really captured the eyes of the Heat, to the point where they expect Bosh to play a lot of the center position this year.
When joining the Heat, Bosh, was seen as the athletic four man that could stretch the floor for the Heat. After a year and a half of this, Bosh, looked a little lost with the slashing Wade and James and was starting to get overlooked on the whole Heat team. While injuries aren’t always the best, most would say Bosh’s injury is what helped the Heat win the NBA championship.
While Bosh was gone for 11 games, it made the Heat realize the presence Bosh had on the court, while giving Bosh time to sit on the bench and realize what the Heat needed out of him. Upon return, Bosh’s three point shooting (5-8 62%in 6 games), and post-defense was exactly what Miami was missing in his absence.
This season, with no big man brought in, Bosh will be asked to play the center position a lot this season for the Heat with James moving to the four position. Bosh, has already planned for this as he has added six pounds of lean muscle to his frame in order to do so. After being strongly against playing the center position, Bosh like James moving to the power forward position, and Wade taking a back seat to James, realizes that it’s crucial to the team’s success and that sacrifices have to be made for the better of the team.
No more “Bosh Spice” from ESPN’s Skip Bayless anymore as the Heat have seemed to find their answer to their center position as Bosh will be the center of attention this season for the Heat.
