Heat Drop a Dud Against the Lakers and Prove That Chris Bosh Is Heat's Team MVP

Well, the Los Angeles Lakers finally figured out how to beat the Miami Heat. Make sure they play them when power forward Chris Bosh isn't in the lineup.

The Heat, without Chris Bosh, just didn't match up well with the Los Angeles Lakers and their frontcourt tandem of Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol.

Not only did the Heat miss Bosh's season average offensive production of 18.4 points per game, they simply missed his size in the paint.

Without Bosh's 6'11" and 235-lbs. frame in the paint, the Lakers were able to hedge out on screens and defend the paint with ease, holding the Heat to only 40 points in the paint.

More important than missing Bosh's offensive production, is what the Heat lost on the defensive side of the ball without Chris Bosh, and that was an answer to the production of Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol. 

For some reason, the Heat, probably per request of head coach Erik Spoelstra, thought it would be smart to go back to their old ways of defending teams' frontcourt tandems by constantly double-teaming every pass that went into the paint.

Just as it hasn't for the Heat's 36 games of the season, that kind of defensive focus didn't work against Los Angeles, as the Lakers ran out to a 50-38 lead at halftime, led by five made three-pointers in the first half.

While LeBron James did an impressive job locking down Pau Gasol, who ended the game with only 10 points on 40 percent shooting from the field, the lack of consistent pressure in the paint that Chris Bosh brings proved too much for the Heat to account for in his absence.

If there's one thing we've learned about the Miami Heat over the span of their last three games, it's that they aren't the same team without Chris Bosh.

The main reason why the Heat were able to beat the Trailblazers was because the Blazers don't have a two-headed offensive threat in the paint, like the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Lakers do, with Al Jefferson and Paul Milsap, and Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol respectively.

Without Chris Bosh, the Heat have had to rely on Joel Anthony, Dexter Pittman and Udonis Haslem for both defensive and offensive production in the paint, and those players have proved that they can't get the job done without Chris Bosh on the court.

While LeBron James might be the clear front-runner for the NBA's 2012 MVP trophy, it's clear that Chris Bosh is the Heat's most valuable player, as Miami just hasn't been the same team without him.

Just look at the Heat's record without each member of the big three in the starting lineup to see which player is the most valuable to the Heat's entire team.

Without LeBron James: 1 - 0   

Without Dwyane Wade: 8 - 1 

Without Chris Bosh: 1 - 2

I know those statistics aren't a telltale sign that Chris Bosh is more valuable to the Miami Heat than either LeBron James or Dwyane Wade, but it is interesting that the Heat have lost more in three games without Bosh than they have in eight games without LeBron and Wade.

Without Bosh on Sunday afternoon, LeBron did all he could to help the Heat win with 25 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists, while Dwyane Wade dropped a dud by fouling out in the third quarter and accounting for only 16 points on 41.2 percent shooting.

The Heat undoubtedly need to get back on track this next week, with games against the New Jersey Nets, Atlanta Hawks and Indiana Pacers, before they head into one of the toughest stretches of their 2011-12 schedule.

After next week, the Heat will take their talents on the road to face the Orlando Magic, Chicago Bulls and Philadelphia 76ers, which will be must-win games if the Heat are interested in obtaining the best record in the Eastern Conference.

Up next, a trip back to South Beach to take on the New Jersey Nets, which is a must-win game if the Heat want to get back on track in the East.

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