Chris Bosh Injury: Why Dwyane Wade Has Biggest Shoes to Fill in Bosh's Absence
LeBron James may be "The Chosen One," but he can’t do it all.
We already know that he won’t carry the Miami Heat come crunch time. But on top of those final minutes, Dwyane Wade must also step up his game offensively throughout the game in order to take a chunk of the workload of The Chosen One’s shoulders.
Chris Bosh’s departure has increased the difficulty of LeBron’s defensive assignment. Instead of easily shutting down Danny Granger—who played downright horrified of the King in Game 1—James is forced to spend time defending David West. That matchup doesn’t necessarily cause trouble for the physical freak, but it affects his performance on the other end of the floor.
Breaking News: LeBron is human.
Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported that James talked about spending time at power forward before Game 2. He also touched on his need to recharge every once in a while in what proved to be quite the foreshadowing.
"It’s a lot more taxing being in there with bigger guys. Defensively is the biggest difference. When you’re on the perimeter, there’s more space. The interior is more cramped and physical. But I’m ready for the challenge.
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He continued: “Forty minutes in the playoffs is different than 40 minutes in the regular season. Intensity is raised. The grind is much more intense. Hopefully, I can get a few minutes here and there.”
Erik Spoelstra wasn’t listening.
In the Heat’s Game 2 loss to the Indiana Pacers, James played 43 minutes. It was the second straight game that he was forced to play that much time.
Miami can’t expect LeBron to blow up offensively and play out of position defensively.D-Wade must improve so that he doesn’t have to.
After scoring 29 points in Game 1, Wade dropped just 24 on Tuesday night, going 8-of-22 from the field. That isn’t good enough. Throw in his missed layup with 18 seconds left, and his performance wasn’t exactly memorable.
Sure, LeBron missed two free throws that would’ve given the Heat the lead. But Wade deserves blame for the loss as well. Miami can’t expect Mario Chalmers or Udonis Haslem to rise to the occasion—the franchise’s fate rests entirely on the backs of LeBron and Wade.
And with James locked in on defense, Miami won't edge the Pacers unless Wade steps it up on offense.
David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.
