How far can the Heat go without Bosh?

[THIS BLOG HAS BEEN UPDATED TO REPORT BREAKING NEWS]

If you're not concerned about Chris Bosh's abdominal injury, then you should be. The Heat announced on Monday that Bosh is out indefinitely. It could mean the remainder of the series. It could mean the rest of the playoffs.

Bosh had an MRI on Monday, which confirmed that Bosh only had strained his abdomen rather than tearing a muscle. That's the good news. The bad news is that a strained abdominal muscle, depending on the severity fo the strain, can take quite a while to heal.

It begs the question: How far can the Heat go in these playoffs without its All-Star power forward/center providing a third option to LeBron James and Dwyane Wade? A series against the Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals suddenly seems a little intimidating. Is Joel Anthony, Ronny Turiaf and Udonis Haslem really going to be enough against the winner of the West?

James and Wade picked up the slack on Sunday in the Heat's 95-86 victory in Game 1 against the Pacers but how long can they keep it up? And let's face it. The Heat could sweep this Pacers team even without Bosh. That's unlikely -- the Heat couldn't sweep the Knicks with Iman Shumpert, Baron Davis, Jeremy Lin and a one-handed Amare Stoudemire -- but Miami will want to close this series out a quickly as possible if Bosh isn't returning.

Comments

[Yesterday's Gone]

Actually think the Heat may have a better chance winning the title w/o Bosh. It may force them to play with more sense of urgency, instead of cool and laid back.

Turiaf maybe a better defender than Bosh and plays with more energy. If we get at least 6-10pts from Turiaf the Heat should be fine. Bosh being out only means more balls on offense for James and Wade, thier both more dyunamic scorers than Bosh.

Plus Turiaf will play in the paint more than did Bosh. Which should also increase the chances of getting a few more offensive rebounds. Im not glad Bosh could be out. But, it will also force the opposition to have to deal with an element of the Heat that could take them for a loop or two.

It will also help a lot if the 3pt shooting comes alive in this micro season(championship run).

[witz]

There are whispers arund the Heat's program? What? This is a program? Thought we were rid of that ridiculous semantic convention once college basketball ended. Please, no more "program".

[black the trucker]

Good win...

[Yesterday's Gone]

Turiaf could be a little more physical defending Garnett when we meet Boston. Kevin Garnett absolutely owns Bosh. Bosh doesnt match up with Garnett's length, nor is he physical enough defending him.

Im not talking Turiaf up to be a star, he just adds a different element, and I see no problem with James and Wade averaging 25-30ppg respectively to make up for the points Bosh would take to the bench with him.

However, it's still premature to say Bosh is out for the entire playoffs.

[Yesterday's Gone]

Anyway, if I were Heat hc, I would bring Bosh in off the bench as a sixth man anyway. Starting James-Wade-Bosh is a little overkill anyway. There are only so many balls to spread around.

I know Bosh's being paid $50 million a year,so, therefore the Heat feel they must start him. But I believe the team would be overall far more efficient with Bosh playing the sixth man, coming in when Wade or James goes to bench, creating more scoring opportunities. While also giving him minute with both Wad-James on the court when spelling one of the front court players.

[Alejandro Quinteiro]

"Garnett owns Bosh", please... That is the dumbest thing I've heard all day.

[gmoney]

Bosh $50 million a year?, more like around $15

[Slap Johnson]

Losing Bosh isn't a death certificate, but Udonis will have to play like the Udonis of old.

[golfinhos]

If Bosh is out for the playoffs and the Heat win the championship anyway, the Heat should trade Bosh for Howard in the offseason. Bosh will have gotten a Championship and Howard would get one with his new team.

[Ricardo Ruiz]

There is no way the HEAT will Win a championship without bosh, They can beat the pacers no doubt,but is gonna take more than that to beat the celtics, lets not even talk about oklahoma or spurs, lebron is gonna get triple team, so wade is gonna have to step up huge so as lebron, our 3 point shooters :(, battier can play defense but his shooting sucks, miller makes them randomly, almost never, cant count too much on jones, he is not playing anymore, Haslem has to play better, but whatever lets go HEAT!!!

[George S]

Heat can make it out of the East without Bosh, but win the Finals without him? That's highly unlikely. I'm not saying impossible because I'm sure when the Mavs lost Caron Butler for the season they thought their chances of winning the NBA Finals was low but everyone picked up the slack, particularly in the NBA Finals.

I firmly believe the team has the talent to win an NBA title with Wade and James. There's no doubt about that. The only problem is getting the role players now to all step up and take respnosibility. They must replace Bosh's points and boards, and hustle even harder for every loose ball.

I really hope Chris isn't out for the series but having him out for the playoffs? Now that'd be a tragedy for the team.

[Joe]

I know Bosh catches a lot of flack from the fans but he's actually one heck of a player. His value to the team is considerable. He's one of the best mid-range shooting bigs in the league, quick enough to drive and create his own shot and an above-average defender. Losing him for this series (which seems likely) is one thing but getting through Boston without Bosh will be difficult. I suspect that Bosh will miss this series and then return during the middle of the Eastern Conference finals. It's crazy talk to think the Heat is better off without Bosh.

[XXXJOSEXXX(HEAT FAN SINCE 97')]

its quite simple, when bosh is on the floor on offense he pulls his defender away from the paint and the opposing team has to defend him or he"ll hit the mid-range jumper, turiaf and/or anthony aren't hitting any jumpers, so that means more bodies in the lane, the only counter-attack for that is to get their bigs in foul trouble so they play timid

[andy]

think heat better off w/o bosh more shots for james and wade is always a good thing better toughness rebounding and defense with turiaf chris bosh is as soft a big guy as ive ever seen garnettt owns bosh its a man against a boy when those guys go out each other

[DNix]

Bosh is no slouch folks...He is needed. The Heat should be able to win this series but Bosh will be needed for the others. The Pacers are already talking differently. That trash talking bravado isn't there. Granger knows he has HIS work cut out for him. Hibbert had 5 fouls...you reach when you get tired.
Anyway...sometimes you have to win the ugly games too. I'll take it. On to game 2.

[Juan Varona]

Jordan only had Pippen. This should be no excuse for Lebron not winning a championship.

[U got no clue]

Better without Bosh?? Are you kidding?
These are the same people that want to trade 3 bench playing scrubs for Chris Paul.

You guys are living in fantasy land!

[greg gembe]

Joe - agree with everything you said except, CB being an above average defender. Offensively he earns his money on the court in a number of ways, but we get better defensively when UD and Joel are manning the paint.

Juan - you need to rewatch the old Bulls games. Rodman, Harper, Pippen, and Cartwright were 4 of the best defenders at their position in the league during the Bulls second run, and that left mj to guard the weakest offensive perimeter player on the other team. mj definitely had help, AND definitely didn't win squat without Pippen beside him. How's he doing as a GM? The Wizards are still climbing out of the hole he put them in, and Charlotte set a record for futility this year during his watch. Think any team will ever request his talent as a GM again?

[Clue]

YG, Please give us a favor and stay on the Dolphins blog, The Heat arent better without Bosh. The guy avg 18 and 9 rebounds and this has to made up by the role players. Hopefully the team will play with more urgerency since Bosh is out

[JCNYMYAMI]

FYI - Bosh will not be out for the whole playoffs. MRI confirms an abdominal muscle "STRAIN" and thankfully not a tear. He should be out for a few games and hopefully the rest of this series sweep and back for next round.

[JCNYMYAMI]

Turiaf Udonis and Anthony are more than capable of doing the job at both ends in the paint, especially against the Pacers, and if need be the Celtics! Winning the championship at this point will be more about which TEAM can best balance organization, passion, and talent, and not about individuals, or stars! The Heat has to play like a TEAM, and want it, no matter who is on the floor.

[black the trucker]

Good news on Bosh... Yes, he is a big part of this team... Look, we can't get down now.... Everyone has to step up... Better defense and better foul shooting... Crash the glass... We must run... Don't get three ball happy but need some three point shooting... Take control of this series...007...

[Calito Alexander]

Hmmmmmm it seems like the playoffs are already over........................Miami beats Pacers and Celtics will beat the Sixers. I am not sure what games you guys watched this weekend but either game could have gone the other way.

Miami has to win on 'D', offense will take care of itself.

[Ray]

WOW....everybody has buried the Pacers and 76ers.
Not so fast.....Pacers won't always have the foul trouble they had in the first game.

[Clue]

Good news its not a tear but dont undersetimate a starin either, Bosh will be out at least 3 weeks which mean we wont have him until the NBA finals thats if we even get there..

[XXXJOSEXXX(HEAT FAN SINCE 97')]

i hate people who give diagnosis and aren't doctors, he's out indefinitely folks, and i'm sick of everyone acting like roy hibbert's a beast, he's only an all-star because there aren't any good big men in the league, and quit the revisionist history because jordan had help, get over it people, he won all his championships with at least one hall of famer next to him, two hall of famers for the last three

[jpejeff]

Sucks to even think about it. Since I have no choice, Miami can make it to the ECF. I don't know about the finals. Got some talented trees out west. WE NEED BOSH! JA is the key even if we have Bosh. If he plays Garnet half as good as he played him last year, we beat Boston in 6 or less. Indy and the 76ers have no chance. You can PAINT them off. WRITING would be too weak.

[XXXJOSEXXX(HEAT FAN SINCE 97')]

oh and another thing, the doctors said he isn't done for the year, he'll be back....hopefully

[jpejeff]

Boston is using finger paint.Sixers trying to make me eat my words. Still like Boston in 6.

[Marshall]

LOL... You Heat fans sure do live in your own little world, don't you? Everybody else in the world remembers last year, when it was practically "guaranteed" that the Heat were going to win the championship. Didn't happen. And now many of you (for reasons that aren't obvious to the non-delusional among us) are ready to write the Pacer's off. You did watch the game the other night, right? The game in which you DID have Bosch for the entire first half and the Pacers pretty much CONTROLLED things? The game which, had Granger scored anywhere near his average, we most likely would have won? The game where George Hill committed a silly foul in crunch time, thereby hurting his teams chances of victory? The same exact game where, with only minutes remaining, on a hostile and frenzied court, a much younger, inexperienced Pacers team STILL had a chance to win? I predict a Pacers win tonight and a series win in 7. Miami only won 4 games more than the Pacers during the regular season and actually won fewer road games. Miami was 6-4 in the last 10 games heading into the play-offs, the Pacers 8-2. And the fact remains that Miami has yet to win ANYTHING with James, Wade and Bosch on the same team. So pardon me, please, if I delay making my reservations for their victory parade. Already talking about playing Boston... your team still has to make it past Indiana, fellas. And even with Bosch, that wasn't going to be nearly as easy as so many of you think.

[black the trucker]

Marshall, go back to indy... We don't care what your record was and how close you were the other night... wrong blog...

[Marshall]

But trucker, you see, I got a response. A response that addressed me by name, at that. So it was - most definitely - the right blog. Let's talk tomorrow morning, ok? ;-)

[greg gembe]

Marshall won't be around tomorrow morning.

1- Division Champs - 2011
2- Eastern Conference Champs - 2011

Now, there are two things the Pacers haven't won and the Heat have.

If George Hill,
If Danny Granger,
If, If, If....

If your aunt had balls, she'ld be your uncle - but that isn't important in this series.

The Heat were down at half time with Bosh, and won the game in the second half without him. How does that play into your warped world?

[black the trucker]

Well, game two... Listen up.. We can not give this team any hope or sign of life.. Everyone has to come to play... Yes, not having Bosh will be huge... But, now we need everyone else to pitch in to take the place or add more to what we bring to the table... This was going to be a tough series with Bosh... Now that he's down with the injury, it makes it even tougher... They will make adjustment.. OK.. So will we... GAMEPLAN... Bron, you have to dominate whom ever they guard you with.. Need a big game from you in this on.. Wade, main man, get hot, and attack.. hit your free throws, need a big game from you in this one too.. Rio, you will have to become aggressive, don't over do it but play aggressively.. Haslem, your midrange jumper has to be on point, battle for loose balls and crash the glass, stay out of foul trouble.. SHOOTERS, come to play... Our defense is playing at a high level and needs to be even better.. We can not allow this team to feel like they can beat us... Take that thought out of their heads... Coach, we might need to play a rotation of bigs, because we have to run, and hibbert will tire.. keep the bigs fresh.. EVERYONE must crash the glass.. Get some extra free throws up in practice... everyone has to shoot better at the line... 48 minutes.. We came to take the trophy and bring it back to southbeach... LET'S GET IT..007...

[greg gembe]

...and, oh yeah, forgot to add that OKC played the last month about .500 ball (can't remember the exact stat, 8-7 I think).

How did that effect them last night as they BEAT DOWN the Fakers and koME? IT DIDN'T!! koME might be headed for his second straight second round sweep exit.

Damn, I can hear the talking heads at ESPN crying now. If only Pau, if only Bynum, if only Coach Brown....it will be everything but 'koME can't guard anyone on that team' or 'why did koME shot under 40% from the field for the series'.

[Luis Bravo]

We had three and now two of the best players in the world, but it TAKES A VILLAGE. THE Superstars do not play team ball. They would rather do the "amazing" shot for the highlights sports news. How many times have we seen one of our Superstars HOG the Ball and take a really stupid shot instead of passing the ball? They are great individual players but not team players. Worst still they do not RESPECT their coach. Today the Herald reports what many already know. James told Spoe that he is "not going to play power forward" and that is the end of that!!!! Last game with three minutes left and the game hanging on a thread; James was sitting on the bench by himself (biting his fingernails and eating away at his cuticles) while coach Spoe was attempting to draw a play etc. The Spoe CAN NOT control these horses and THAT IS the REason the TEAM will not WIN a RING.

[greg gembe]

I'll let you the rambling about the league MVP and Riley's choice for coach slide by, but let me correct you on the other ridiculous lie.

It DOES NOT take a village to raise a child. It takes a loving Mom and Caring/Providing Father in the house. Screw that community crap. That's a fib told to lessen the parental responsibilities so that kids and parents lean on someone else (maybe, say, our government) to mold and shape our youth.

If you don't want to take the responsibility and/or make the sacrifices to bring a child into this world and be a part of their life, then DON'T HAVE KIDS!!! Some of us are tired of paying for your lazy arses.

[Joe]

Well, this conversation really took a turn...Let's not crucify someone on this "sports" blog for a cliche you might disagree. I think Luis was just trying to say the Heat's bench needs to step up. To that, I say, get ready for some LeBron-Wade iso ball! Chris Bosh was the fulcrum of the Heat's offense. With Bosh out, I'm expecting LeBron and Wade to be in full hero-ball mode.
WADE: "You go."
JAMES: "No, you got this one."
WADE: "It's your turn."
JAMES: "No, I had the last three."

[Marshall]

LOL @ Greg... Division and Conference Champs? Hey, if a piece of fabric hanging in the rafters of a building that only sees NBA basketball 41 times a season counts as a victory to you - take it. When the over-hyped Heat fail to win a ring (again)they and their fans will at least be able to find some solace in those banners. Should be a good game tonight... looking forward to a Pacer's victory. It'll be even sweeter considering I'll be surrounded by Heat fans (I do live in South Beach, afterall).

[greg gembe]

Didn't say it was the only thing we were looking for, and we aren't satisfied if that is all the further we EVER get, but they don't hand those clothes out to anyone - it is something you earn. You have noticed that one piece of fabric hanging up in the rafters from 2006 haven't you? Think we'll get another one of those before the Pacers and the Cavs get one?

We'll be competing for the title the next several years, while you will be doing things the 'right' way. Enjoy!

[greg gembe]

Joe

Wasn't trying to crucify a specific person, just an idea.

UD will fill in for Bosh, and do a fine job. He can hit that pick and pop 15'-17' shot, and will play better defense. We also have Miller and Battier that will bang on West when needed.

Other than Collison, I think we are quicker at the other positions. Let them try to keep up with us. You think Hibbert can run with JA? Me, either.

[Marshall]

Greg, do you not think the Pacer's will be competing for that same title over the next several years? Obviosuly, they have talent - and they are a younger group. If a title continues to elude your beloved Heat, I don't know how many of those "several years" Heat management are going to be inclined to throw money at a couple of individuals while foresaking a cohesive team unit. A lot of cash flowing down that way and I imagine at some point someone is going to expect a return.

[Marshall]

And keep up with you (I enjoy when people refer to themselves as though they are an actual, integral part of the team - lol)? Um, it looked to me like they (the Pacers) were AHEAD of "you" the other night with the exception of a few minutes at the end. I don't think we'll (see, I just did it too!)have any problem "keeping up" with "you".

[greg gembe]

I called the Pacers finishing third in the East at the beginning of the season, so I respect what they've done more than Knicks, Magic, etc...

The Heat don't have the highest payroll in the league, and I don't know of anyone that is overpaid on this team.

I know last year wasn't a 'bust' because we didn't win the title, we competed for it, and that's what I want to see every year. Even if they go to the championships this year and lose, that's not a bust. They will win in the next few years, but that still won't satisfy the loser haters. The idea that they have to win EVERY FREAKIN' YEAR, is floated out there by the hating media, who obviously have a willingness to see the Heat come up short, and will crucify them even after great seasons. I don't buy into that, at all.

Now, I was honest about giving the Pacers some cred that they deserve. Can you honestly sit there and tell me this TEAM doesn't play as a TEAM? Can you tell me that each individual on this team didn't sacrifice money or glory to be part of this TEAM? Have you seen the energy they put into defense, covering for each other, rotating to contest shots on the perimeter, and tell me they haven't bought into the 'sum is greater than the parts'?

We are getting our return on investment. But in our 'microwave' society, if it doesn't happen NOW, we get all pissy.

Hell, we marched into Bagdad in less time than it took Janet Reno to get into Waco Texas, and it still wasn't quick enough for some people. Microwave society! (sorry Vinnie Johnson, you don't deserve this)

[greg gembe]

Not intergal part of team, just a fan.

Ironic that the Division and Conference championship banners are just 'cloth' and you down play that, while stating that you were ahead of the us the entire game except for the end.

That's priceless!

[Heatup]

This Marshall guy obviously doesn't understand how LBJ makes Danny Granger look like a poor mans Trevor Ariza. Danny boy just won't be able to catch his breath after trying to guard the King and will end up shooting 1-9's the rest of the series with the best on the ball defender draped all over him. Roy Hibbert and Vogel can cry, talk $hit and try to amp up their team by taking subtle jabs at the Heat but that will backfire in their faces...

Yo Hibbert, how's that "we're more of a complete team" statement at the end of the first half working out for you when Dwade and LBJ combine to score more points than your entire team in the second half? Sit ya goofy ash, fouling c^nt down...hit the road jack!!!

[Heatup]

I love how the Heat will just set the Pacers up in the first qtr, let the Pacers fans feel good about themselves, Heat feeling them out to see how they are playing them...then in the second half they just tighten the boa constrictor defense on them, turn the stars loose and smash them. LOVE IT!!! They must feel helpless...just keep talking Pacers, makes it all that sweeter.

[black the trucker]

OK.. ONE GAME... WE'RE OK....

[Marshall]

Hey Greg... guess what? Nevermind... I just didn't want to dissapoint you and not show back up this morning. Oh, btw.... Home Court Advantage = Pacers. ;-)

[Carlos Carballo]

A-Lebron James and Dwanye Wade can carry the team to the finals!!! GO HEAT!!!!