Bosh Ineffective Off Bench In Game 1
OKLAHOMA CITY (CBSMiami) – The biggest mystery for the Heat going into Game 1 of the NBA Finals was whether or not power forward/center Chris Bosh would start. The question coming out of Game 1 is why didn't he start?
Bosh, an All-Star, has been coming off the bench since he returned from his lower abdominal strain that he suffered in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. In Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals, Bosh was effective coming off the bench.
But in Game 1, while the Heat succeeded in the first half without starting him; Bosh was completely ineffective off the bench. Part of it was Bosh's newfound love of the 3-point shot. He was very efficient with the shot against the Boston Celtics, but he struggled mightily in Game 1 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Before he was injured, Bosh had started every single game that he played in during the season. Since he returned, he's been brought off the bench. The hope was that Bosh could spark runs when he entered the game.
During Game 1, Bosh entered around the same time Shane Battier was taken out. Battier had been on fire up to that point and was hitting all of his shots. Bosh came in and the offense continued to do well, but as the first half wore on, Oklahoma City started their comeback that would end with an 11 point victory.
Bosh wound up with just 10 points in the game, which is 8 points below his season average. For the season, Bosh averaged 18 points per game and shot 49 percent from the field. In Game 1, Bosh shot just 36 percent from the field.
While it was just Game 1, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra will likely talk it over with his assistant coaches and team president Pat Riley before he settles on a role for Bosh heading into Game 2.
