Chris Bosh Injury: Heat’s Chris Bosh & Return

Chris Bosh Injury: Heat’s Chris Bosh & Return, Remember what appeared in this space less than two weeks ago concerning the only opponents—boredom, complacency and expectations—left that could knock off the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference playoffs?

Unfortunately, one obstacle was overlooked:

“Injury to one of the Big Three. Even if it’s the least prominent of the Big Three.”

Apparently, the Heat were immunized against the injury plague running through the NBA playoffs. Wrong.

Chris Bosh caught the bug Sunday in Game 1 of the East semifinals. The verdict, such as it is, came down just before noon Monday: an MRI revealed a strained abdominal muscle, and Bosh is out indefinitely.

Know what else is now “indefinite”? The Heat’s spot in the NBA Finals.

The conference finals? That shouldn’t be a problem. Sorry, Indiana Pacers faithful. It’s not your fault you’re not quite at the level at which you can beat even a depleted team of that caliber. It happened to be a top-heavy conference this season, and the Pacers, as improved and dangerous as they were, are on the wrong side of the dividing line.

Forget having any one player as good as either LeBron James and Dwyane Wade—and definitely forget having two. The Pacers could use a player as good, consistent, productive and dangerous as Bosh. Not this year.

And that brings us to the Heat’s problem beyond this round. The world is about to get a harsh lesson on how badly it’s been underestimating and undervaluing Chris Bosh the last couple of seasons.

Chances are great that the lesson will be taught in the next round by the Boston Celtics, assuming they can beat the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Heat are not going to beat Kevin Garnett—as well as he’s playing—and Paul Pierce and Brandon Bass and the rest of the Celtics, up front and elsewhere, with James, Wade and the supporting cast they have left.

And they certainly won’t do it with Ronny Turiaf, Udonis Haslem, Juwan Howard and whoever else they’ll have to slide into Bosh’s place. (To his credit, Howard was outstanding filling in for Willis Reed once upon a time, but that was then, this is now.)

The shoes Bosh leaves to fill are way too big, even though he gets far too little credit. The rest of the Big Three wouldn’t be nearly as big without Bosh’s contributions—and the rest of the roster can get away with being as thin, limited and one-dimensional as it is because of him. (SportingNews)