NBA Playoffs 2011: Will Carlos Boozer Play Like Kevin Garnett Against Miami?

Kevin Garnett had a Game 3 against Miami that turned back the hands of time.

The fans and his teammates barely recognized him as he poured in 28 points and snatched up 18 rebounds. He was sure to break out in the rest of the series and give the Heat the old what for, until he didn’t.

Garnett relinquished domination to his shaky counterpart Chris Bosh, who was not the most admirable among the Heat’s roster. Carlos Boozer has struggled during the first and second rounds until Thursday night when he seemed to break through the slump.

As Chicago prepares to face Miami in what will be nothing short of a clash of the titans, will Boozer lose his fire again?

Boozer dug himself into a pretty deep hole in the Indiana Pacers series, as he allowed a younger Tyler Hansbrough to dunk and shoot all over him. Carlos was behaving more like a cheerleader than an actual teammate and I am pretty sure that is not in his job description. If so, he would have been on the sidelines in a skirt with some pom-poms. I thought he would come out of his rut a lot sooner than Game 6 in the second round.

He simply refused to dominant the painted area and kept getting in early foul trouble. After a swift foul in the first quarter of Thursday’s game, everyone was ready for a repeat collapse. Yet, he did not allow any of that to take place.

Carlos Boozer began playing more composed, smarter basketball—but aggressively. It is always intimidating for a team’s big man to tackle the task, but he handled it as any No. 1 seeded component should. Boozer’s field goal percentage was at its highest in Game 6—62.5 percent. No one expected it, but all enjoyed.

Now time to tackle the red-eyed monster.

The Miami Heat finished off the Boston Celtics in five games, winning one of Boston’s home games after being routed in Game 3 by 16 points.

LeBron’s clutch ability shined through as he hit the team’s last 10 points in Game 5 to send them  to the final round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs.

At the end of Thursday night’s game, Boozer made a statement about the Miami Heat that has a few fans stirring. Mentioning in a post game interview that Miami has two great players instead of three may prove to rub a lot of people the wrong way.

He may be hitting the nail on the head, however, he is riding the same roller coaster that Bosh has been. To be completely honest, Bosh has been more effective in these past two rounds than Boozer has been. One breakthrough is not enough of a reason to take shots at someone you must match up against.

Carlos Boozer was facing a team that continued to give Derrick Rose much needed pressure and was left open, shooting 15-footers time after time. Miami will not make the same mistake. Putting one body—LeBron’s—on Rose will have to do, as the rest of the roster will actively play man to man defense. 

Boozer will not have it as easy as he did before, and will have to find a way to protect the basket without constantly fouling.

Dwyane Wade and LeBron James have found ways to drive and draw while maintaining enough body control to finish the shot. Joel Anthony is also another peak of paint offensive and defensive player Carlos Boozer will have to butt heads with under the basket. He has proved himself reliable in dirty work situations and Boozer may not be well adjusted in his postseason game enough to perform like a star against such physical players.

Carlos Boozer is facing one of the toughest basketball challenges ever and must show up for 48 minutes every time around to give Chicago a chance. Their MVP just is not going to be enough.