Chris Bosh Injury: How Heat Star's Return Will Impact Game 5 vs. Celtics

Chris Bosh returning from injury in time for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals will not be enough to rescue the Miami Heat.

According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, multiple sources are reporting that the Heat—barring any setbacks in the next two days—will finally reactivate the power forward. He has missed nine postseason games with a strained abdominal.

The Boston Celtics have taken advantage of his absence by winning the battle in the paint and have evened the series up at 2-2. They have momentum going into Tuesday’s Game 5 matchup in South Beach.

While the Heat do need to get their third All-Star back on the floor, he’s not going to be the difference-maker they are expecting or the savior that they need.

Kevin Garnett has been his vintage self this series, averaging 20.5 points, 10.8 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.3 assists in over 38 minutes per contest. He’s been able to get down low and create mismatches against the undermanned Heat front line.

When Bosh returns, there is no way he is going to be able to contain a motivated KG, who has been on an absolute tear. The Miami big man is going to have to shake off the rust and is likely to have his minutes severely limited by coach Erik Spoelstra.

Even when CB1 was healthy in the early portion of the playoffs, he wasn’t exactly lighting it up. In six games before the injury, the PF was averaging 14.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and one assist in 30.5 minutes.

If Bosh isn’t going to swing Game 5 for the Heat, who will?

The officials.

It seems that these finals are going to come down to the referees, who have been stealing the spotlight away from Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and the rest of the stars involved in this series.

They have been making egregious foul calls against both teams that have swung the balance of power in every single matchup thus far.

With the refs being so unpredictable and impactful, the manner in which they call this next crucial contest will likely determine which side advances to the NBA Finals.

After four games, it is clear that the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics' chances will come down to the whistle.