Chris Bosh's Injury Sets Stage for Epic LeBron James 2012 NBA Championship Run

It's official. ESPN is reporting that Chris Bosh is out indefinitely for the Miami Heat due to an abdominal strain he suffered in Game 1 against the Indiana Pacers.

There's no doubt that the Bosh is an integral piece of the Heat's rotation, and they will certainly miss him.  But luckily for the Heat, they have a man named LeBron James who seems hungrier than ever to lead a team to an NBA championship.

Now that the Heat's big three has been minimized to the big two, the stage has been set for LeBron to not only win his first NBA championship, but to do so in memorable and epic fashion.

Carrying the Heat without Bosh won't be a problem for LeBron

Bosh left Game 1 with 1:06 left in the 2nd quarter, and he left the Heat down 48-42 to the Pacers.

Before Bosh left the game, LeBron James only had six points on 33.3 percent shooting from the field. Once Bosh made his exit to the locker room, LeBron took over the game with 26 points on 50 percent shooting.

While that's only a one-game sample, the kind of production that LeBron accounted for without Bosh on the court goes to show that he's ready to carry the load for the Heat as the move forward in the 2012 NBA playoffs.

In six games without Bosh in the starting lineup, LeBron averaged 30.8 points, 9.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists with a 58.1 field-goal percentage.

Not only did LeBron's production, apart from assists per game, increase without Bosh, LeBron also led the Heat to a 4-2 record without Bosh on the court.

It is clear that LeBron is more than capable of carrying the Heat without Bosh, and that's exactly what he's going to do if he wants to hoist the 2012 Larry O'Brien trophy at the end of the playoffs.

A "Bosh-less" championship run will mean more for LeBron's legacy

While there's no time-frame for Bosh's return, making a championship run without him is exactly what LeBron needs this year.

When LeBron decided to take his talents to South Beach he abandoned the possibility of building his legacy around being the foundation of an NBA franchise all by himself.

Joining Wade and Bosh in Miami meant that LeBron's legacy would be tainted, even if he won championships because he couldn't get it done alone.

Now that Bosh is out indefinitely, LeBron has a chance to be the sole foundation of the Heat's 2012 championship run, and that is going to have an impact on his long-lasting legacy.

For the sake of this argument let's say that the Heat win the 2012 NBA title without Bosh ever returning to the starting lineup.

While LeBron will have Wade to help him out, leading a Bosh-less Heat team will be an impressive feat, especially with the limited talent the Heat have to replace Bosh.

If LeBron's first NBA title comes this year, without Bosh, it will be that much more valuable, as LeBron will prove that he is capable of being the foundation of a franchise.

While it's never a positive when a player goes down with an injury, in this case, Bosh's injury sets the stage for LeBron to win his first NBA title in memorable form.

After being crowned the 2012 NBA MVP on Sunday before Game 1 against the Pacers, LeBron had this to say about winning the MVP award:

"This is very overwhelming to me as an individual award. But this is not the award I want, ultimately. I want that championship. That's all that matters to me."

Good news LeBron.

That elusive championship is within reach, and now without Bosh, you'll have no one to blame but yourself if you don't win it this season.

Heat fans, get ready for an epic playoff run by LeBron James, because it's exactly what his legacy needs.