NBA Finals 2012: Chris Bosh Is Miami Heat's X-Factor in Game 2

Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals may have been a curse for Miami Heat star Chris Bosh.

While coming off the bench, he drilled 8-of-10 shots (3-of-4 from three-point range) with the vast majority of his attempts coming from outside of the paint. Bosh suddenly had confidence he could routinely drill shots from behind the arc.

He followed that up with three more three-point attempts in Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder (making one), showing a clear lack of aggressiveness attacking the basket. After attempting a whopping 60 three-point shots (making just 16) in the past two regular seasons, Bosh has turned into a long range shooter.

He shot only 4 of 11 last night, with only two free throw attempts, adding up to 10 points. He didn’t attack the basket and didn’t attempt to back down anybody on the Thunder around the rim. He grabbed a mere five rebounds, with zero coming from the offensive end, and finished with the worst plus/minus on the team (-16) in 34 minutes.

He wasn’t the only reason the Heat were outscored by 18 in the second half, but he certainly didn’t help. When discussing the adjustment his team needs to make after the game, Bosh admitted he needs to be more aggressive (via SLAM Online):

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We have to do a better job of executing our offense. Sometimes we have to attack the rim, because if you’re not making shots and you’re shooting jumper after jumper, (Oklahoma City) is getting out in the open court, and that’s what they do.

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It’s pretty simple for Bosh.

First of all he needs to start the game, putting the concerns of his abdominal strain aside because…well,because it’s the freakin’ NBA Finals.

Start him in the post and give him the ball early. Force the Thunder to collapse down low to free up the shooters that will be wide open in the corners. This will also allow LeBron James and Dwyane Wade a chance to move without the ball, something they were rarely able to do in Game 1.

The Heat thought they could beat the Thunder by spreading the floor and taking a lot of jump shots. Bad idea. The Thunder’s length on the perimeter and closeout speed bottled that up for almost the entire second half.

Bosh is the most talented big man on offense in this series and needs to start getting to the line. He needs to force Kendrick Perkins to defend him in the post and needs to rebound much better. In other words, he needs to be the Chris Bosh of the first round of the playoffs.

It’s clear that Bosh is still being protective of the injury, and it’s changing his game.  He needs to put this mental hurdle aside (easier said than done) and get back to what has made him an All-Star.

The Heat are certainly not out of this series, but they have to start scoring in the paint to ensure they don’t rely on jumpers against a tremendous defensive team that has better rebounders.

Bosh will be the man in charge of ensuring the Heat isn’t outscored 56 to 40 in the paint once again.

Is he up to the task? Game 2 depends on it. 

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