Chris Bosh Injury: Absence of PF Will Take Toll on Heat

Another day, another dollar—and another indication Chris Bosh is still struggling to recover from an abdominal strain he suffered in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Indiana Pacers.

The Associated Press reported on Sunday that Bosh will miss Game 4 against the Boston Celtics, extending his absence to a ninth consecutive contest. The unwelcome news comes as little surprise to Miami Heat fans, but the worst part is there's still no timetable for his return.

The Heat had begun to look nearly invulnerable without Bosh, at least after some early stumbles in Games 2 and 3 against the Pacers. Miami won five straight between the latter of those defeats and the Celtics' Game 3 home win.

More importantly, they won those games decisively, making Bosh look seemingly extraneous in the process—especially in the concluding games against Indiana, when LeBron James and Dwyane Wade appeared capable of controlling 48 minutes with or without the help of a hit-or-miss supporting cast.

One loss to Boston is hardly cause for major adjustments, but it is illustrative of some vulnerabilities in the Heat's short-handed lineup.

While Miami had little trouble compensating for Bosh's absence against the Pacers, veteran Kevin Garnett presents a new set of challenges according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst:

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This is what Wade means by Spoelstra earning his money. The Heat are at a size disadvantage, and Garnett’s agility makes him a lot harder to deal with than centers such as Tyson Chandler and Roy Hibbert, who the Heat battled earlier in the playoffs. Spoelstra may have to get more creative in how to defend Garnett, which so far has been mostly focused on trying to deny him the ball. That hasn’t worked that effectively.

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Bosh may not be known for his defensive impact, but there's no question the mobile 6'11" forward would avail Miami of a valuable resource in what would inevitably remain a team approach to containing Garnett.

There's even less doubt that Bosh would come in handy as a needed scoring option.

The Heat may indeed be better off with Bosh taking on a more complementary role, but that doesn't mean they're better off without him altogether.

Dwyane Wade proved as much in Game 3 with an underwhelming 9-20 shooting performance and no trips to the free-throw line. Without Bosh to spread the floor and draw defenders, Wade was double-teamed and harassed into his worst performance since the second round.

Though Bosh is neither a defensive difference-maker nor this club's principal scoring option, he's still instrumental to this team's success.

Head coach Erik Spoelstra may continue to find ways to survive in Bosh's absence, but it won't be easy.