Will Chris Bosh Play in Game 5?

Game 4 of the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals was another instant classic. Dwyane Wade missed a game-winning 3-pointer at the end of overtime to give the Boston Celtics a 93-91 win over the Miami Heat. Miami was without Lebron James for a portion of overtime due to him fouling out. James and Wade had a hard time getting space between them and their defenders all night. They missed Chris Bosh...a lot.

Erik Spoelstra started Joel Anthony at center and James at power forward. He hasn't found the right combo to start the game with. Miami has fallen behind by double-digits by the end of the first quarter in two out of the last three games.

Before Game 4, Spoelstra said that Bosh is considered 'out indefinitely.' He has been getting evaluated before each game and has shown improvement. Will Chris Bosh be back for Game 5 back in Miami?
Chris Bosh must play in Game 5 if the Heat has any shot at making the NBA Finals. He will have the entire off-season to heal his lower abdominal strain. Miami said they did not want to rush him back in fear of a setback. If Miami doesn't game Game 5, there will not be another series for them to play this season.

ESPN reported that Bosh is rumored to be coming back for Game 5, but the report has not been confirmed yet.

Udonis Haslem has filled in for Bosh adequately. He is giving exactly what Haslem can give you in a game. You can't replace what Bosh gives the Heat with Haslem. Ronny Turiaf didn't even enter into the game. James committed seven turnovers as the starting power forward.

Boston is 'cheating' defensively. I don't mean cheating in as doing something illegal, but in a way that a cornerback plays close to the line because he thinks the quarterback will throw a quick pass. The Celtics don't have to respect Miami's low-post scoring. James and Bosh cannot get the space to shoot if Bosh isn't there to draw an extra defender.

Boston pulled down 11 offensive rebounds in Game 4. Bosh is not the best rebounder, but he is long and would have disrupted a few of those rebound attempts. Kevin Garnett had 14 total rebounds and could have had a few more rebounds if he wasn't worried more about hustling back to play defense.

Bosh is a competitor and we know that he wants to play. They have been showing him on the bench and he looks like a lost puppy. Miami just needs to give him a green light. Even if Bosh could contribute 20 minutes, Miami would be a much better team.

Chris Bosh Out for Game 4

The Miami Heat will have to find another way to stop the Boston Celtics from scoring in the paint. Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said that Chris Bosh won't play Sunday. He has not advanced enough in his recovery from his lower-abdominal strain. They will keep evaluating him in hopes of him returning later in the series.

Boston scored 58 points in the paint during Game 3, the most they have scored in a playoff game since 2008. Kevin Garnett looked like he was in his twenties again by scoring 24 points rather easily. Rajon Rondo has even had success hit floaters and scoring in the paint.

Since Game 4 of their series with Indiana, Miami have done a great job in overcoming the absence of Bosh. Can they do it again in Game 4?
It is hard to replace Bosh's 18 points and 7.9 points per game that he averaged during the regular season. Miami's bench isn't strong since an overwhelmingly large portion of their salary cap is distributed to Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, and Bosh. Joel Anthony, Udonis Haslem, Juwan Howard, Eddy Curry, and Ronny Turiaf are the available power forwards and centers on the team. Center Dexter Pittman is still suspended due to his flagrant foul on Lance Stephenson that occurred during Game 6 of their series with the Indiana Pacers. Haslem, Anthony, and Turiaf have been rotating in and out of the game filling the Heat's power forward and center positions.

During the regular season, Boston struggled to put up points on a regular basis. They are a great defensive team and have won games because of it. Their identity had to change when Avery Bradley went down with a shoulder injury. He was their defensive spark plug and will miss the remainder of the playoffs. Rondo increased his scoring with an unprecedented offensive output in Game 2 of the series. Boston is being more aggressive and leaving everything out on the court. Coach Doc Rivers apparently knows when to push the accelerator.

Game 4 of the series takes place Sunday at 8:30pm EST.

Get your popcorn ready! (I hope Terrell Owens doesn't own that trademark)

Udonis Haslem & Dexter Pittman Both Suspended, Flagrant Fouls (VIDEO)

The Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers are fighting like the basketball court  in the middle of an octagon. The fifth game of this series was a battle. Both teams tried to hold their ground, but frustration started to set in and the play started to get chippy.

This series is one of the most physical in recent memory. The tension is starting to build and players are taking their aggression out on each other.

Miami won Game 5 and lead the series 3-2, but they could end up without two of their big men. Udonis Haslem and Dexter Pittman committed moronic fouls that will cost them games. Haslem will be suspended for Game 6 and Pittman received a suspension of three games.

The video of these fouls are below...after the jump.

Tyler Hansbrough started the foul contest after he was too physical with Dwyane Wade. The play was borderline, but Wade sold it by laying on the court for nearly thirty seconds. The Heat answered when Udonis Haslem put both hands in Hansbrough's face and pushed his head back. In most cases, this would have been a Flagrant Two, which would eject Haslem from the game. He was only cited for a Flagrant One, the same level of Hansbrough's foul. During the second-half, Marv Albert and Steve Kerr mentioned that Commissioner David Stern would review Haslem's foul on Wednesday.

Possibly the most aggressive foul was committed by the Heat's Dexter Pittman in the final minute of the game. Lance Stephenson was coming in the paint to rebound the ball, but Pittman jumped over to his side of the paint and put an elbow right in Stephenson's throat.

Why would two back-of-the-rotation guys go at it like this? It started when Lance Stephenson held up the "choke sign" when Lebron missed a couple late-game free-throws. Miami didn't take kindly to that and believe that Stephenson needed to learn to respect other players. Before Game 4 in Indianapolis, the Heat's Juwan Howard crossed the half-court line and confronted Stephenson.

Pittman's foul was planned and it has no place in the NBA. The Heat can survive without him. He is expendable and this is why he was chosen to commit the hard foul.

Nearly ever major player in this series have been close to fighting each other. Danny Granger and Lebron James have been talking trash to each other and it nearly came to blows twice. Because their team leaders are going at it, it is open season for the rest of the roster. It didn't help when Wade tackled Darren Collison in Game 2. Wade was not suspended for Game 3, in which infuriated the Pacers and their fans.

The Heat will need to activate Eddy Curry, who has not played a single minute in these playoffs. Game 6 of the series is on Thursday in Indianapolis at Banker's Life Fieldhouse.

Here are the videos of the Miami Heat's flagrant fouls and a video breakdown from Newsy.com...

Game 5: Udonis Haslem's flagrant foul on Tyler Hansbrough

Game 5: Dexter Pittman's flagrant foul on Lance Stephenson

Game 2: Dwyane Wade flagrant foul on Darren Collison