Chris Bosh Says San Antonio 'Might Be the Most Difficult' NBA City to Play In

Timothy Rapp @@TRappaRTFeatured ColumnistAugust 5, 2020

Former Miami Heat player Chris Bosh speaks at a press conference before the team's retirement of his jersey at halftime of an NBA game between the Heat and the Orlando Magic, Tuesday, March 26, 2019, in Miami. Bosh played 13 seasons, the first seven in Toronto and the last six in Miami. He averaged 19.2 points and 8.5 rebounds, was an All-Star 11 times and won two championships. (AP Photo/Joe Skipper)

Joe Skipper/Associated Press

Former NBA star Chris Bosh had plenty of experience playing in San Antonio—he faced the Spurs twice in the NBA Finals with the Miami Heat, going 1-1 in those matchups.

And he wrote in his newsletter, The Last Chip, that San Antonio "very well might be the most difficult basketball town in the world." Part of his reasoning:

"Let's start with the stadium: The AT&T Center is next door to a barn. Seriously—the SA Rodeo is a half-mile away from where the Spurs play their games. It even shares a parking lot with their practice facility, where we had our shootarounds. So the minute I knew we were going to be facing them, one of my first thoughts was: That's a few hours in the bug den. The horseflies from the stables like to migrate onto the court. It's hard enough to stay focused in the run-up to a game. Imagine trying to do it with insects zipping around you."

Bosh also said the Spurs' physical style of play—and how the fans "feed on that" and "start wanting blood during warmups"—made playing in San Antonio a tough assignment.

The Heat's Big Three of Bosh, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade went 2-2 in the Finals (reaching that stage in four straight years), losing to the Dallas Mavericks in 2010-11 before beating the Oklahoma City Thunder and splitting the series with the Spurs.

San Antonio's 4-1 Finals win in 2013-14 ended that run in one fell swoop. Following the humbling loss, James returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers as a free agent, while a blood clot limited Bosh to 44 games.

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He played 53 games in 2015-16, his last taste of NBA action. Wade, meanwhile, signed with the Chicago Bulls following that season, erasing the last remnants of the Heat's Big Three era.

Bosh had an excellent career. He was an 11-time All-Star and a two-time champion, averaging 19.2 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.0 block per game. He'll make an interesting case for Hall of Fame voters, though he was not named as a finalist in 2020. He'll likely get in eventually.