NBA Playoff Predictions 2012: Miami Heat Will Struggle Without Chris Bosh

While the Miami Heat won Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals 95-86 against the Indiana Pacers, they lost badly when news surfaced that Chris Bosh suffered a lower abdominal strain and will likely be out for at least the rest of the series.

The impact of the injury is immediate. While the Heat are still the favorite, beating the Pacers and then advancing to the finals is no longer the lock many thought it was before Bosh went down.

See, Bosh has an excellent mid-range jumper. The threat of such a shot is valuable in its own right. It was clear in Game 1 that Roy Hibbert and the Pacers bigs couldn't just stay in the paint while Bosh was on the court.

They knew he'd make them pay with his jumper.

But with Bosh gone, Hibbert and company don't have to worry about that, as the Heat don't have any other big who can make that shot. Udonis Haslem was thought to be able to, and throughout his career he has demonstrated that ability, but he hasn't been able to connect from there all season, shooting a horrendous 25.9 percent from 10 to 15 feet out.

Unfortunately for the Heat, the fallout from the Bosh injury doesn't stop there.

The Heat were already lacking depth and relying heavily on LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, and now, will have to even more. Just look at Game 1—LeBron played 43 minutes, while Wade tallied 40.

LeBron is a physical freak and Dwyane is the ultimate competitor, but still, the Heat has to worry about them wearing down as the series progresses.

And it's not just the rest of the series the Heat has to be concerned with.

Many attribute Lebron's 2011 NBA Finals meltdown to him not being clutch, failing to consider that his minutes leading up to the finals had much to do with it. If LeBron has to play close to the 43 minutes he played in Game 1 night in and night out, his performance will likely suffer in the finals once again if the Heat make it there.

The team showed on Sunday that they should be able to handle the Pacers without Bosh. But, this is a championship or bust team, so Bosh's injury is a huge deal. If they meet the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals, slowing down Kevin Garnett and Brandon Bass will not be easy. Furthermore, any of the remaining contenders in the Western Conference would have a substantial frontcourt edge on the Bosh-less Heat.

The Heat have now truly become the LeBron and Dwyane Show, and they are two of the top-five players in the NBA, so a championship run is still more than possible. But even the biggest Heat fans would have to admit that the road has now become much more difficult.