‘It was the hardest [stuff] I’ve ever done.’ Chris Bosh talks Big 3, playing Tim Duncan and more
Rewatch the 2011 NBA Finals and you will notice something a bit off about Chris Bosh’s game.
It wasn’t his defense. It certainly wasn’t his scoring either. No, what’s ultimately absent from Bosh’s game is the very thing that later brought Miami back-to-back titles: his ability to space the floor.
“For me, that’s one of the things I wish I would’ve done and I think we could’ve been more effective earlier if I would have figured out how to... really be a three-point threat early on,” Bosh told ESPN’s Zach Lowe.
Bosh’s initial hesitancy to shoot from three was one of the several topics he addressed during his recent conversation on Lowe’s podcast. The episode, which released Tuesday, found the two-time champion setting the record straight on everything from “The Decision” to guarding Tim Duncan to even his famous rebound in the 2013 Finals.
From the very beginning, Bosh set out to dispel myths still widely held by Heat fans. Take the 2011 Finals, for example. Everyone knows LeBron James didn’t play his best. It’s one of several aspects preventing him from reaching GOAT status. But many Miamians will downplay the loss by framing it as a Heat meltdown rather than a Mavericks victory. Bosh, apparently, wasn’t having any of that.
“Dallas beat us,” Bosh said. “C’mon, Rick Carlisle, Jason Kidd, Dirk Nowitzki — those are future hall of fame guys and they had a very, very organized, complete team. They had a plan and they took us out of our game They played a tremendous series.”
Bosh, who took one three-pointer during the 2011 Finals, went on to discuss other topics from before, during and after the Heatles’ four-year run:
▪ He talked about the uncertainty surrounding “The Decision.”
“I knew but didn’t know if that makes any sense,” Bosh recalled. “You can speculate, you can do all these things but LeBron, his decision, he’s going to have to make it at the end of the day.... I had Bron’s number but he wasn’t answering. I’m sure there was a serious, tremendous amount of pressure on him, especially with the prime time special coming up. It was crazy. We found ourselves sitting and hoping he was going to make the move to Miami just like everybody else.”
▪ After going down 3-2 to the Boston Celtics in the 2012 Eastern Conference finals, Bosh believed the front office would blow up the Big 3 if they would have lost the series.
“For sure it’s over,” Bosh said. ”It’s nothing to talk about. Our goal is to win a championship and you get there, you don’t win and you don’t even get to the dance the next time? You don’t even get to the show?”
▪ Bosh walked Lowe through arguably the most famous offensive rebound in NBA history during Game 6 of the 2013 Finals.
Ray Allen “was the first person I saw,” Bosh remembered. “So, in my mind, it happened very slowly. Even in my experience now, if I close my eyes and just experience it, it was very slow. Looking at it on TV and replays, it does not feel like that for me. To me, in my mind, he was the first person I saw. Now, granted, that was always a point of emphasis to say ‘All right well, offensive rebound, you look for the three-point shooter.’ That’s your highest three-point bucket to get. And just naturally he called my name.”
▪ Despite his ties to Miami, Bosh is a Texas kid at heart. So you would think he enjoyed matching up against Tim Duncan in two straight NBA Finals. Turns out it was actually quite the opposite.
“Hell no it wasn’t cool,” Bosh quipped. “It was the hardest [expletive] I’ve ever done in my life. It’s funny that you mentioned that. I watched the film. I’m giving up about 20-30 pounds right? He’s a heavyweight playing down at light heavy. I’m a middleweight playing up at light heavy. He had the size on me, but just every play down the court he was hitting me. No it wasn’t no fun.”
▪ Bosh also clarified his previous comments about why he thought the Golden Warriors had more of dynasty than the Heat.
The Warriors “get one [title], have a two-year battle with the Cavs and then boom they go get KD,” Bosh explained. “And, you know, a lot of people feel certain ways about that. At the end of the day, their team got stronger and they continued their quest for championships. That was the disappointment for me that [the Heat] kind of just really stopped. And in that span of four years, it’s tough. You always say what would’ve been because usually, hopefully teams will get more than a four-year crack at it.”
