Posts Tagged ‘Eastern Conference Finals’

Chris Bosh Has Found His Place With The Heat

Monday, May 23rd, 2011

By Brandon Pemberton

Coming off of a 34 point performance last night in a 96-85 win over the Chicago Bulls in game three of the Eastern Conference Finals, it’s pretty obvious to me that Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh is playing with confidence and has found his place on this team.  Early in the season, Bosh looked lost, passive, and out of place on the floor.  He was often criticized for his timid play and lack of rebounding.  Playing in Toronto, most people hadn’t really seen him play much unless you are a big fan of hoops and had the NBA League Pass.

Bosh was used to being the man for the Raptors, having the offense run through him and everyone else playing off him.  While he averaged 20 points and 9 rebounds per game and made six All-Star performances, he’d never won a playoff series and he never was a legit superstar player.  A player like Lebron James or a Derrick Rose type, who has enough talent to carry a team to high places with fair talent around them.  There were plenty of basketball fans that thought Bosh was that kind of player but he wasn’t, and hasn’t been that kind of guy.

Now, playing with two legit superstars who have the ball in their hands the majority of the time, Bosh had a rough time early in the season finding his role on the team.  The injury to Udonis Haslem made things even worse for him, as the team needed him to play a more physical role, similar to what Haslem would play.  The Heat struggled with chemistry and Chris was one of the [main] culprits.

As the season progressed, Bosh and the Miami Heat have gotten better on the offensive end of the court.  The Heat use him in pick & roll situations, which fits his game perfectly as he has one of the best mid-range jumpshots in basketball (big man or not).  He also has been playing well, finishing off passes from James and Wade and hitting the offensive glass.  In the three games against the Bulls, he’s averaging 25 ppg and grabbing 7 rpg as well.  You can see the confidence that he lacked during the season as each playoff game goes by.

Finally, I’ve never been the biggest Chris Bosh fan and after the WWE type celebration he, Lebron, and Wade partook in [after signing], it made me dislike him even more.  Add in the fact that he’s a fake tough guy and it irks me when he scowls and yells on the court, but I have to admit that he is playing well and will be one of the key reasons the Heat win it all this season.

Brandon Pemberton, Blogger for War Room Sports

Game 2 Heat at Bulls: A Must Win for the Heat?

Wednesday, May 18th, 2011

By Brandon Pemberton

One of Taj Gibson's TWO highlight reel dunks in Game 1

The Miami Heat came out flat in game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Bulls and the play along with the final score showed.  Lebron James (15 points, 5-15 from the field) and Dwyane Wade (18 points 7-17 from the field) were flat out brutal, while Chris Bosh carried the team with 30 points and 9 rebounds.  When I watched James after the game 7 win against the Celtics on the ground resembling a player who had just won an NBA title, I thought to myself, “he is acting like the season is over and they’ve won it all”.  And he and his team’s play was a disgrace on Sunday night.

Yeah we all noticed that James and Wade played badly, but there was plenty of blame to go around.  The Bulls were the more physical team on both ends of the court and the Heat allowed Chicago to grab 19 offensive rebounds, which lead to 31 second chance points.  The Bulls also forced the Heat into 16 turnovers and held them to only 10 fast-break points.

The Bulls’ bench clearly outplayed Miami’s, outscoring them 28-15, providing solid defense and mistake-free basketball.  Taj Gibson scored 9 points off the bench, including two highlight reel dunks, one of them on Dwyane Wade.  Ronnie Brewer gave the Bulls some good minutes, drawing the assignments of James and Wade.

Look, I know it’s a seven game series and all, but the last thing you want to do is go down 2-0 and leave yourself in a spot where you have to win four out of the next five games.  I expect Lebron and D-Wade both to come out more aggressive and assertive, looking to go to the rack more and get the Bulls into foul trouble. There were too many occasions where they settled for jump shots instead of putting pressure on the defense by driving the ball.  It would help if the Heat could get some scoring from the bench, but at this point I don’t know if it’s really possible.  Mike Bibby, Mario Chalmers, and James Jones would help out greatly if they can hit the open shots available to them.

I’m looking at the Vegas line on this game and it has the Bulls (-2) as the home favorite.  That’s a Miami line if you ask me so I will take the Heat minus the 2 to cover and win the game.  If they don’t…they are screwed and the Lebron hate will be all over the place.

Brandon Pemberton, Writer for War Room Sports