Chris Bosh Must Eye Return in NBA Finals

When Chris Bosh went down with an abdominal injury in Game 1 against the Indiana Pacers, the most under-appreciated member of the Miami Heat’s “Big Three” was ruled out indefinitely. There was no timetable set for Bosh’s return because this type of injury is difficult to judge.

Reportedly Bosh has “gotten a lot better,” but that does not mean the Miami big man should rush a return in the Eastern Conference finals (assuming the Heat manage to close out the Pacers in either Game 6 or 7).

The absence of Bosh has had an immediate impact on Miami. The team’s lack of frontcourt depth (and lack of talented role players in general) forced coach Erik Spoelstra to play LeBron James at power forward, giving him rebounding duty along with everything else he has on his shoulders. Spoelstra even started scrub center Dexter Pittman, and the Heat lost Games 2 and 3, scoring just 75 points in each contest.

Even so, Miami stormed back and now holds a 3-2 advantage on the Pacers through five games. Injuries to Danny Granger and David West will hurt their chances at a comeback, and Pacers team President Larry Bird even went as far as to say his team “went soft.” Needless to say there are a lot of factors working against Indiana at the moment.

A recent report from ESPN indicates that Bosh may be eyeing a return soon.

As tempting as it will be for Bosh to return to the court against either the Philadelphia 76ers or Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals or even in this series against the Pacers, he simply can’t risk it.

Both the Celtics and 76ers needed six games to eliminate their first round matchups, and neither team has looked dominant against one another as the series is headed to a do-or-die Game 7.

In two of the three Celtics wins, Boston has blown out Philly (107-91 and 101-85). But despite looking really solid in two games, the Celts have laid some eggs in this series and couldn’t even score 80 points in Game 6 (they scored just 75).

Would having Bosh back help the Heat in the Eastern Conference finals against either of those two teams? Absolutely it would help. However, the Heat (and when I say Heat I mean LeBron James and Dwyane Wade) have been rolling lately, easily winning back-to-back games after the 94-75 embarrassment that Miami suffered in Game 3.

With James and Wade playing as well as they are together, with the chemistry they’ve developed on the court together, it would be foolish for Bosh to come back too early and risk re-injuring himself.

Assuming that the Heat can grit out a tough Eastern Conference finals series with a man down like they have shown they can do against the Pacers, the true test will come in the NBA Finals.

The team coming out of the West will either be the veteran San Antonio Spurs or the up-and-coming Oklahoma City Thunder. Both of those teams have talented big men that could cause Miami problems if Bosh is not back in the lineup.

Tim Duncan would prove to be a nightmare matchup for the Heat even with Bosh back, so facing San Antonio without him would be a major concern.

Although the Thunder’s two big men, Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka, are not exactly prominent scoring threats, they would still have a field day on the boards against a small-ball Heat team.

James has had the added pressure of needing to clean the glass for a diminished Heat team, while still having to be the team's facilitator and biggest scoring threat. If that’s still his job in the NBA Finals against a powerhouse team from the West, I really do not like the Heat’s chances.

Bosh will be a huge X-factor for the Heat moving forward, but Miami can’t afford for him to rush a return. It’s possible that the big two-thirds can overcome a tired Celtics/76ers squad in the Eastern Conference finals, so Bosh should rest and rehab with his eyes on the NBA Finals and a matchup with Tim Duncan or Ibaka/Perkins.