Pacers vs. Heat Game 2: Players That Will Thrive with Chris Bosh Out
After the Miami Heat took a hard-fought Game 1 in their second-round NBA playoff matchup against the Indiana Pacers, they received some seriously devastating news.
Star power forward Chris Bosh would most likely miss the entire second round, and possibly the remainder of the postseason, with a strained abdominal muscle.
With Bosh out of the Heat lineup, there are players on both Miami and Indiana that will step up and play big in the absence of the star forward.
This series just got real interesting.
David West
There is no doubt that David West’s signing with the Pacers came as a surprise to many NBA fans, but he now has the chance to help lead Indiana into the Eastern Conference finals.
With Chris Bosh out, David West can go to work on the mixed bag of defenders the Heat will use at power forward. None of Miami's backups can hold a candle to West, who will torch Miami for as long as Bosh is on the bench.
Fans can expect over 20 points each night from West, but it will be his ability to box LeBron James out and snag rebounds from the Miami star that could force the Heat to seven games.
LeBron James
There is no question who the No. 1 guy in Miami is now, and LeBron James needs to showcase his leadership by taking on the role of lead rebounder with Chris Bosh on the mend.
Even during the regular season, James was averaging almost eight rebounds per game, but with Bosh on the sidelines, he will have to average closer to the 15 boards that he had in the team’s Game 1 win over the Pacers.
Not only will LeBron have to be versatile on the offensive end, filling in as both the rebounding forward and the post player when needed, he will have to defend several different positions over the course of the series. With so much on his plate, it will be interesting to see how he handles it all.
Roy Hibbert
The man that was most fearful of Chris Bosh was Indiana’s Roy Hibbert.
The 7’2” center was being used and abused by Bosh, who was drawing the solid post defender farther and farther away from the basket with his jump shot. Now that there is no player on the Heat that can expose him, Hibbert will resume his domination of the paint.
While Miami has some solid players that can fill in at power forward and center for Bosh, none can compete with a talented big man like Hibbert. The definitive series advantage by the Heat is gone.
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