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)

Will Chris Bosh Play in the Eastern Conference Finals?

The Miami Heat have missed the presence of Chris Bosh since he was injured in early in the series with the Indiana Pacers. After the injury, Miami said that Bosh would be 'out indefinitely. They defeated Indiana in six games, but 90% of their plays were isolation plays with either Lebron James or Dwyane Wade taking it to the rim. Bosh gives the Heat a third option and frees up James and Wade out of double teams.

They are still unsure when he would be back. A timetable is hard to set for a lower abdominal/high groin injury. A player could come back in as early as two weeks or need to sit out a maximum six to eight weeks.

When will Bosh be back for the Heat? Will it be in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Celtics or could he be out for the remainder of the 2012 NBA Playoffs?

ESPN reported that Bosh participated in an on-court workout at American Airlines Arena on Sunday. Assistant coach Keith Askins ran Bosh's workout over the seeing eye of team president Pat Riley. He worked on his lateral movement, shot some free-throws, and did some catch and shoot footwork. It was reported to be an extremely light workout, but it is a sign that he could be back sometime in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Head coach Erik Spoelstra commented to the media that he is preparing the team to play without Bosh. He is taking each game one at a time and if Bosh is ready to play, he will adjust his game plan.

Miami needs Bosh to play as soon as possible. They don't want to rush him and gamble a setback, but they were only 1-3 against Boston this year. Boston likes to play small, but would benefit by playing bigger against a Bosh-less Heat. Kevin Garnett has been playing center and are a much better team since making that change. They will be without Avery Bradley for the rest of the post-season because of a small tear in his shoulder. He is one of the best defender on the team and Ray Allen will have to step up on defense.

My prediction is that Miami will play the first few games without Bosh. If they win two out of the first three games, the Heat will wait after Game 4 to make a decision to bring him back for Game 5. If Miami is 3-1 after that game, Bosh will sit...if Boston ties up the series, he'll be back for the next game. I think Game 5 is the earliest that you will see him back on the court.

The Heat would need Bosh in the NBA Finals. The Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs are big and play great interior defense. They will not be able to beat either of those teams with him.

Top 10 YouTube Videos of NBA Flops

Flopping is a hot button issue in today's NBA. Indiana Pacers coach Frank Vogel was fined 15k for saying that the Miami Heat were the biggest flopping team in the league. David Stern was interviewed during Game 1 on the Pacers/Heat series and said that it needs to stop. Flopping was never an issue until Vlade Divac perfected the art of flopping in the late 1990s. It was frowned upon then, but over the years, it is now an accepted practice by most players. The best players in the league (Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul) all do it and I decided to give you some proof.

Here are the Top 10 best YouTube videos of NBA flops.

Chris Bosh flopping against the Chicago Bulls

Lebron James also flops against the Chicago Bulls

Vlade Divac flopping compilation

Baron Davis flops against Mehmet Okur

Raja Bell & J.R. Smith's "double flop"

Raja Bell commits another "double flop" with Manu Ginobli

Omer Asik's Mega-flop

Deshawn Stevenson flops against Indiana Pacers

Rudy Fernandez's ghost flop

Pau Gasol's Flop Mixtape

2009-10 NBA Preview: Toronto Raptors

The Raptors went out and made a splash this off-season by signing Hedo Turkoglu. They paid him a lot of money, but are they expecting to win now? Will they move Chris Bosh before the trading deadline or reach an agreement on a new deal? Can the new Raptors lead this team to the post-season? Here is the 2009-10 NBA Preview for the Toronto Raptors.

Additions/Subtractions - The Raptors were able to sign the best free-agent in this year's weak class, Hedo Turkoglu. He left Orlando for Toronto because of money and the international feel of Toronto. I don't know if that is why someone who sign with a team, but Turkoglu's wife made the decision. Jarrett Jack was another off-season addition to this team, he adds depth at point guard and has played at a high level in the NBA for a few years. DeMar DeRozen was their lottery pick and he should help this offense out, but he could be a year or two away from being any help on the defensive end of the floor. He could become the star of the team after Chris Bosh leaves after this season.

2009-10 Expectations - Jay Triano took over after the first month of the season last year and went 25-40 as the head coach last year. The Raptors are expecting big things from this team, since they went out and signed Turkoglu and this could be their last year with Chris Bosh on the team. He's a free-agent after this season and he has dropped hints that he is bolting after this season. If the Raptors somehow end up out of the playoff race before the trading deadline, you could see Bosh being sent to a contender for something in return. If you are Toronto, you can't afford to let him walk without getting something back. Andrea Bargnani and Jose Calderon are expected to live up to their potential this year. Bargnani had a good year in 2008-09, but he has yet to live up to the #1 overall pick status. He needs to prove that he can be the star this franchise needs and become a legitimate big man in the NBA. If the Raptors have a rough year, expect Triano to get fired and for them to go after a big name.

2009-10 Prediction - The Chris Bosh distraction may end up being too much for the Raptors to handle. The addition of Turkoglu and Jack should add wins to this team, but I expect Toronto to move Bosh at some point this season for young talent or draft picks. This team will regress this season and miss the playoffs again.

2009-10 Win Total - 30-52

22 Sports People You Must Follow On Twitter

I was apprehensive to join Twitter because I knew that I would become addicted to it. I was out with some friends, about a year ago, and my friend talked me into signing up with her phone. I just posted a few “tweets” and then that turned into multiple “tweets” and now I’m on there all the time. I have around 1700 followers and it fluctuates daily. My Twitter name is @sweetbob and you can follow me by clicking here.

Here are the 22 sports people that you must follow on Twitter.

Bill Simmons - @SportsGuy33 - He’s extremely popular writer on ESPN and I love his writing and podcasts. He is very active on Twitter and sends out a lot of hilarious links. He was also apprehensive about Twitter, but now he seems to be addicted.

Mike Freeman - @realfreemanCBS - He throws in comedy with sports insight. He often RTs his @ replies with a funny remark. He's a must follow for every level of sports fan.

Chris Bosh - @chrisbosh - Chris Bosh is a basketball player for the Toronto Raptors. He has a great sense of humor and often asks for help on his Twitter for things to do in different cities that he travels to.

Eric Stangel - @EricStangel - He's the lead writer on The Late Show with David Letterman, but mostly tweets about sports. He often tweets out pictures of famous New York Yankee mustaches and asks his followers to guess who's mustache it is.

Hasheem Thabeet - @HasheemTheDream - Thabeet was just drafted in the NBA by the Memphis Grizzlies. He is very active and tweets about getting ready for the season.

Sports Bloggers - @sportsbloggers - This is a twitter page that posts anything from sports blogs that tag their tweets with “#sblog.” It’s a nice twitter account to follow for the latest posts on some of the best sports blogs.

Will Leitch - @williamfleitch - Will Leitch was the founder of the sports blog, Deadspin.com. He now works for New York Magazine and is the Emeritus at Deadspin. I needed to add him to this list because I just bought his book, “God Save The Fan,” at Half-Price Books, it’s a good read.

Jon Heyman - @SI_JonHeyman - He is a sports writer at Sports Illustrated. He is very active on Twitter and gives out links and tidbits that are worthy of a follow. I love his writing and sometimes he gives out a little information of what he is working on.

Skip Bayless - @RealSkipBayless - I have made myself clear that I don’t like Skip Bayless. I have even written posts dedicated to his idiotic banter. I follow Skip Bayless for possible material to bash and to see what great player he will decide to bash and belittle.

Chris Mortensen - @mortreport - I know that Jay Glazer can scoop the pants off of Mort, but I still follow him. He gives out some information that is worth reading, even if it pertains to the College Baseball World Series.

Molly Qerim – @MollyQerim_ESPN - I first saw Molly Qerim on a fantasy football program on ESPN. She was playing the “Sage Steele” role with Matthew Berry. She is beautiful and well-spoken. She is now involved in Mixed-Martial Arts programming at ESPN.

Jason McIntyre - @thebiglead - He writes at TheBigLead.com. I read The Big Lead almost daily and it’s a great sports blog. He gives out interesting links and is very active. He also keeps be updated on soccer scores while I’m at work, thanks Jason.

Jamie Mottram - @jamiemottram - Motrram is a sports blogger that is based in the Washington D.C. area. He runs MrIrrelevant.com and SBNation.com and works with Yahoo! I read his blog very often and his tweets are informative and entertaining.

Will Brinson - @willbrinson - He is a sports blogger over at AOL Fanhouse. I have been reading his stuff for awhile now and I think he’s great. He is active on Twitter and gives links out to some of his work and others that he wants people to read.

Amy K. Nelson - @AmyKNelson - I have been a fan of Amy K. Nelson since I saw her on First Take. She knows her stuff! I have read some of her articles and she is making a name for herself at ESPN. She is also a sports crush of mine…Shhhhhh!

Deadspin - @Deadspin - Deadspin.com is in my favorites on my computer at home. I read the site daily and it made a name for itself by having an edge with no access and a little bias. They tweet links to material on their site and most of them are worth a click.

Hugging Harold Reynolds - @HHReynolds - He was the mastermind behind the “Blogs With Balls” conference in NYC last month. I was unable to attend, but I read nearly every post that explained what happened. I am a big fan of his site, HuggingHaroldReynolds.com and go there daily. His tweets are great and he re-tweets a lot of good material.

Jenn Sterger - @jennifersterger - We all love Jenn Sterger, right? She tweets about sports and what she has been doing. She also posts a lot of twitpics of things that she has done like the Indy 500 and photo shoots. Just for that reason alone, she’s worth a follow.

Jimmy Traina - @JimmyTraina - Jimmy works at Sports Illustrated and helps deliver the “Hot Clicks” section over at “Extra Mustard” at SI.com. He has linked to a couple posts of mine, for that I’m thankful. He has a great sense of humor and tweets about the funny videos and the Yankees.

Matthew Berry - @MatthewBerryTMR - Matthew Berry is a fantasy analyst over at ESPN. He helps do the Fantasy Focus podcasts and videocasts on ESPN.com. He gives out a lot of fantasy advice on his Twitter, often responding to questions asked to him via the program.

Gunaxin - @Gunaxin - Gunaxin.com is a great site for sports, beer, babes, and humor. I read it daily and I’m now a contributor to the site. They often tweet links to new material and is very active. They have a staff of contributors that get content up on Gunaxin.com on a regular basis.

Shaquille O’Neal - @Shaq - Shaquille O’Neal is the King of Twitter. His tweets helped put Twitter on the map, even if they are often misspelled. Shaq can be a polarizing figure, but he won a lot of people over with his down-to-earth humor and accessibility. He’s definitely worth a follow.


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