3. Chris Bosh
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_qxM57CQ88
Even without the MVP in the lineup, Miami was able to beat the cinderella storied Trail Blazers in their own building thanks to Bosh’s incredible long range prowess in the clutch. He finished the game with 37 points and 10 rebounds in LeBron’s absence, clearly the one who shouldered the most of the load needing to be carried.
Back in his days in Toronto, Bosh came up big in crunch time more regularly as the go-to-guy in the post shooting mid-range jumpers and taking the ball strong to the basket.
Now, Bosh is third in the pecking order of superstars on this Heat squad. But he’s adapted like all great players do by expanding his range out to the three point line (or well beyond as shown in the Portland game).
In the Heat’s rather peculiar offense with LeBron playing the power forward alongside three guards and Bosh, Bosh has to play the role of the enforcing big man in the paint. But also, when LeBron does play his natural small forward position, the “Bostrich” has to find his way outside to get his looks.
While there haven’t been a plethora of opportunities for Bosh to prove his clutch behavior down the stretch, he shows up when his time comes. Whether that’s offensive rebounding (End of the 4th qtr. of Game 6), inside scoring (overtime Game 6), threes (buzzer beater against Portland), or all of the jumpers he’s hit game after game with his smooth stroke, Bosh looks right at home putting his team on top with the game on the line.