Chris Bosh, an 11-time All-Star and two-time champion, is out of the playoffs for the second year in a row. And needless to say, the Miami Heat star isn’t happy about it.
According to NBA.com, Miami coach Erik Spoelstra talked to his team during practice and told each player what his role would be during the postseason, then let Bosh take the floor.
Bosh wasn’t available for comment, but teammates his speech was emotional, speaking about what the playoffs mean to him and how upset he is to not be able to play right now.
“It’s really tough for him,” Dragic said. “He wants to be part of this on the court and it’s really hard to watch and not to do nothing. It’s a tough situation for him but we need him – even if he’s not going to play, his ability to talk to the players, show what you’re doing wrong, how you’re supposed to do it on the floor, it’s big time.”
For the second straight year, Bosh was sidelined after the All-Star break due to a blood clot in his calf, ending his season prematurely. Bosh did issue a statement announcing the clot had dissipated, but the Associated Press has learned that Bosh is now on a regimen of bloodthinners – which could be the reason why he can’t play.
Dwayne Wade spoke to the media about Bosh’s speech.
“The biggest message is someone who lived for this moment, someone who envisioned these moments especially after last year, he doesn’t have the ability to be in it.”
Many have favored the Heat to go deep into the playoffs this year, even potentially facing the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Finals. But Miami’s prospects are definitely different with Bosh officially out of the lineup. The positive is that Spoelstra’s team has played played without Bosh for a couple months and knows how to account for his absence.
We’ll have to see how well the Heat do on Sunday against the Charlotte Hornets in Game 1 of their first-round series, where Bosh will be rooting hard from the sidelines.
(NBA.com)
