Serious power shortage in Miami
By Homer D. Sayson
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 15 May 2012
A DUNK plus a hard foul plus a cruel twist of fate.
Add all that up and it equals one wounded All-Star.
Chris Bosh.
The injury bug, which bit Chicago and ended the Bulls' title dreams after Derrick Rose tore his ACL, is now hounding the Miami Heat.
Bosh has been declared out indifinitely after an MRI on Monday revealed an abdominal strain. He sustained the injury in Game 1 of the Heat-Pacers Eastern Conference semifinal Sunday afternoon in Miami.
And just like that, in a blur of unfortunate events, the Heat's deadly Big Three is now down to a less than venomous Big Two.
"This season has to be extended for me to play again...We've started treatment. We'll see how my body responds," Bosh told reporters Monday after learning of the extent of his injury.
To the math-impaired, Heat minus Bosh equals Miami losing one-third of its mega firepower. It's a loss so immense it tilts the balance of power in the Heat-dominated Eastern Conference playoffs.
And somewhere in the Western Conference, the San Antonio Spurs, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Los Angeles Lakers just saw the doors to the NBA title open wider.
Even with this enormous misfortune, though, I'm not about to write the Heat's obituary just yet. With Dwyane Wade and newly-minted 3-time MVP LeBron James, Miami can still certainly win the East, and ultimately, the NBA crown.
But without Bosh, the championship climb will get steeper.
And longer.
And tougher.
BOSH isn't just another forward. He is a versatile big man who can play center even at a wiry 6-foot-11 and 235 pounds. Bosh, 28, is a thouroughbred who impacts both ends of the floor with his scoring and defense. Prior to his derailment, he was averaging 14.7 points and 6.8 rebounds per in six playoff games.
A 6-time All-Star, Bosh can score with the same ease posting up or running the break. His soft, nifty shooting touch around the basketball as well as a respectable range from 12 feet and beyond draws opposing bigs away from the paint, which leaves ample room for LeBron and Wade to penetrate.
Bosh posseses the length, quickness and smarts, to hold his ground defensively against the bulky, space-consuming 7-footers in the NBA.
Having a roster inhabited by big and reliable bodies is a luxury in the giant-embracing league such as the NBA. It's a luxury the Heat simply do not have.
As Bosh deals and heals with his muscle injury, the Heat will suddenly have to rely on 6-foot-9 Joel Anthony, 6-foot-10 Ronny Turiaf and 6-foot-11 Dexter Pittman. As you can see, that isn't it a list of future Hall-of-Famers. Good luck, Miami.
With the Bulls no longer running in these NBA playoffs, the supreme Heat were supposed to burn through the East on the way to the NBA Finals. Now without Bosh, the expected cakewalk is shaping more like an ordeal.
Miami has three All-Stars, yes, but as fate has it right now, the stars are not aligned. (Homer D. Sayson)
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