The Journey Continues
Not even a game-winning 3-pointer on the road against the Tim Duncan-led San Antonio Spurs could shut the critics up, but some were starting to have epiphanies. His greatest moment as a member of the Heat would not come by way of scoring the basketball, however.
You all know the story.
Down five with 21 seconds to go, facing elimination on their home floor. Familiar yet? Bosh’s offensive rebound that eventually led to the greatest clutch shot in NBA history is by far the most underrated sequence I have ever witnessed. Some will point to the lack of Duncan’s presence on the floor, but history isn’t predicated on “what if’s.”
His defense down the stretch of that game was equally phenomenal, swatting away shots from the likes on Tony Parker and Danny Green, on his last-ditch attempt to send the game to double overtime. This more than makes up for the donut performance in Game 7 of that series, where Wade, James and Shane Battier ultimately closed the Spurs out, as the Heat claimed their second consecutive championship.
2014, while the worst statistical year of the “Big Three” era, provided plenty of exciting memories. Ignoring the record-setting loss to those same Spurs in that year’s Finals, Bosh was quite effective. 37 points, 10 rebounds and another game-clinching 3 on the road was the highlight of Bosh’s season, as Miami was without James for the entirety of that game.
Seeing him get vindication over Roy Hibbert, David West and the Indiana Pacers was satisfying to see as well, finally breaking out of his shell over the course of the last three games of that series. His 25 points in Game 4 was the most exciting, 17 of those coming in the first quarter and a half.
Following the loss, James departed for Cleveland and Bosh signed a 5-year, $118 million deal to stay with the Heat, providing them with a consolation following the loss of the best player on the planet.
Health problems would derail Bosh’s NBA career over the course of the 2015 and 2016 seasons, and I can only remember how shocked and saddened I was after hearing the initial announcement. By the second time, I knew he would never play again, and it’s a reality I still have not been able to wrap my mind around.
I know he discusses a potential comeback quite often, and I’ve seen him on ESPN’s First Take as well as TNT’s Players Only, lamenting just that. If I had just one word of advice to Mr. Bosh, it would be this: I know basketball is your life, I know it’s your first love and I’m quite aware that it has brought you the most joy outside of your children being born.
It’s not worth losing your life over it, Chris. Class-personified, you’re so much more than just a basketball player. Nobody in a Miami uniform will ever don the No. 1 again, and I’m looking forward to the day you are enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
Next: Do the Miami Heat have a successful, late-game formula?
As a former Heat fan turned journalist, I think it’s time to begin writing the next chapter. Thank you for the memories, and those two diamond-encrusted rings sitting in your trophy case would not have been won without you.