Miami Heat: Why NBA Playoff Hopes Rest on Play of Chris Bosh

Forget about LeBron James' fourth-quarter struggles, or the lack of a top-tier point guard, the determining factor in the Miami Heat's playoff success this season will be the success or failure of Chris Bosh.

While the Heat can count on Dwyane Wade and James to fulfill their expected offensive production on a nightly basis in the playoffs, the same cannot be said for Bosh, who is is wildly inconsistent.

Bosh doesn't give the Heat enough scoring output, even though he has the ability to score in many different ways. 

For starters, Bosh has a solid mid-range jump shot that helps the Heat stretch the floor. If Bosh can knock that down consistently, then it will allow him to use his great athleticism to drive to the basket.

The problem for Bosh is that he lacks the confidence needed to dominate against superior opponents. Against the best teams this season, Bosh has been a major disappointment.

Take a look at some recent performances against some of the NBA's better teams:

Opponent (Date)	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
Bucks (2/1)	38	9	9	5	0	0
76ers (2/3)	32	12	5	2	0	0
Magic (2/8)	37	12	9	0	1	1
Magic (2/19)	31	8	9	0	1	1
Hawks (3/8)	32	9	8	1	1	1
Pacers (3/10)	44	13	6	1	2	2
Bulls (3/14)	37	12	3	1	0	0
Celtics (4/1)	31	4	11	4	1	0
Celtics (4/10)	38	13	9	1	0	0

If Bosh doesn't succeed against these Eastern Conference powers, then Miami won't reach its goal of winning a title.

Bosh has to play well not just for his own confidence; he needs to excel because the Heat's bench isn't deep or talented enough to pick up the slack.

Udonis Haslem, Shane Battier, James Jones and Norris Cole just aren't getting it done offensively off the bench. The Heat's bench is so weak that Bosh cannot afford to struggle against top competition.

Haslem and Battier are averaging a combined 10.9 points per game at forward, which is not good enough for the Heat.

When the Heat are at their best, they are using their superior athleticism to dominate their opponents, but when Miami goes to the bench, it loses a lot of that speed with Haslem and Battier.

Bosh needs to be aggressive and not back down when the going gets tough, while also not allowing trash talkers like Celtics forward Kevin Garnett to get inside his head.

If the Heat are going to succeed in the playoffs, Bosh has to play like a star being paid a max contract. If he fails in the playoffs, so will Miami.

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