Chris Bosh: Heat Won't Win Championship Without Star PF
It looks like the Miami Heat are going to be able to get past the Indiana Pacers after a convincing 115-83 victory in Game 5, but Erik Spoelstra's squad won't be winning a championship without Chris Bosh.
While Bosh certainly isn't the team's best player, he's one of the most important. The absence of the star power forward changes the entire make-up of the Heat.
The primary reason is that LeBron James has to spend more time playing at the four spot. Sure he's done a great job playing power forward against the Indiana Pacers, banging around down on the post with the likes of Danny Granger, Tyler Hansbrough and David West. James is so physically gifted that he can step into any position on the floor (except center) and dominate.
What happens when he has to play power forward against a more formidable defender like Kevin Garnett? While Garnett may be old, he's still fierce and is playing some of his best basketball this postseason. Even when Garnett has to take a seat, the Celtics still have Brandon Bass down low, and while he isn't a lock down defender in the post, he's an adequate stand-in while Garnett gets a little rest.
Even if James is effective against Garnett, which is likely, he's going to have to work a lot harder against one of the most feared defenders of the last decade than he's had to against Granger, Hansbrough and West. We all know that James brings a special kind of intensity to the court every game, but can he bring that same intensity every time down the court against a high-level defender like KG?
That's going to take a toll on James after a grueling series against the Celtics.
Even if the Heat are able to get past Boston and into the Finals, it's going to get even tougher from there.
Let's address the possibility of the Oklahoma City Thunder getting past the San Antonio Spurs for a showdown against Miami. If Bosh isn't able to return, the Heat will miss his length down low, but most of all his rebounding. Serge Ibaka is one of the best down-low defenders in the game and you can bet he'll be giving it to James down low.
While he isn't a huge rebounding factor, he'll be grabbing more boards without Bosh in the paint. Kendrick Perkins and Nick Collison are old-school guys who grind it out every game. They're superior rebounders to Udonis Haslem, Ronny Turiaf and Joel Anthony and it will show if Bosh is unable to return.
Say the Spurs beat the Thunder and the Heat are matched up against San Antonio. Miami is going to get killed by Tim Duncan, Kawhi Leonard and Tiago Splitter on the boards. The Spurs averaged 43.7 rebounds per game this season, almost two more than the Heat. That differential will be exaggerated with Chris Bosh out, as he averaged just under eight rebounds per game this season.
It's going to be a rough go for the Heat without Bosh and it shouldn't come as a shock if they fall short again.
The Heat are nearly unbeatable when James and Dwyane Wade are clicking at all cylinders, but you can be sure that the two won't combine for 70 points per game for the majority of their remaining games. Miami's quest for the ever-elusive first NBA championship of the King James era may not end this season, and if that is the case, we will look back on the Bosh injury as the main reason for the team's failure.
