MIAMI?An NBA cult phrase was temporarily redefined on Saturday.
Like a Bosh.
That?s Chris Bosh, the most ridiculed player on the world?s least-favorite basketball team. Combine those factors, and Heat haters cannot be feeling good about what happened in the opening game of the playoffs.
LeBron James and Dwyane Wade struggled badly enough that Philadelphia had a chance to beat Miami. Then Bosh came through with 25 points and 12 rebounds, and the Heat won 97-89.
What if it was a sign of playoff things to come?
?Chris Bosh is the most important player on our team,? LeBron James said. ?When we get that kind of contribution from him, we?ve got a great chance to win.?
Wait a minute. Isn?t LeBron supposed to be the most important player?
No, because you pretty much know what you?ll get out of James, and also Wade, each game, even if they didn?t give it Saturday. Bosh will be the X-factor over the next few weeks.
Will he be the Bosh of Game 1 or the Bosh of the regular season? As much pressure as James feels these days, Bosh is the free-agent mercenary whose reputation really needs a championship buffing.
People may question LeBron?s loyalty and heart, but nobody questions his ability or manliness. Charles Barkley certainly would never compare him to an ugly girl.
Bosh is a big 6-11 softie, and that?s not the reputation one wants in the NBA. When he made the All-Star team, Barkley said, ?trying to find an All-Star in the Eastern Conference was like going to a bar to pick up a bunch of ugly girls. I mean, somebody?s got to win.?
The ugly girl/forward was even called out by Kevin Durant after a game in Oklahoma City.
?I?m a quiet guy, laid-back guy, but I?m not going to let him talk trash to me,? Durant said. ?He?s on a good team now so he thinks he can talk a little bit. There are a lot of fake tough guys in this league, and he?s one of them.?
Some of the grief was inevitable. Instead of blazing his own trail, Bosh signed on as the Third Wheel behind James and Wade. Figuring out his role was going to have some rough moments.
Bosh?s 18.7 scoring average was his lowest in six years, but that?s what happens when you?re sharing the ball with the Big Two. It?s harder to justify averaging 8.3 rebounds, 0.6 blocks and frequent bouts of passivity.
If James is an Alpha dog, Bosh is a French poodle. Being pleasant and subservient is not a good trait for a power forward. Especially one that signed a maximum $115 million contract.
The Bosh bashing hit critical mass in November when he became fodder for a video by ?The Basketball Jones.? It began with a guy complaining about a stapler he just bought.
?It?s not working at all,? he said.
?Like a Bosh,? his friend tells him.
Then the music video kicks in, featuring photos of Bosh getting dunked on, getting his nose broken, visiting The Hamptons, drinking chocolate milk and kissing Kelly Ripa.
The video had been viewed 351,000-plus times on YouTube as of Saturday afternoon. All those people must have been rubbing their eyes in disbelief at the Bosh they saw on ABC.
The 76ers did what others will try in the playoffs?make somebody besides Wade and James beat them. The Big Two took just four shots in the first quarter as Philadelphia took a 31-19 lead.
That was never going to last, but James and Wade finished a combined 10-for-27 for 38 points. Bosh?
?He?s the guy we go to for relief,? Wade said.
It?s taken almost six months, but Bosh is learning to be more than wallflower. He?s started demanding the ball more, and isn?t content to be merely a mid-range jump shooter.
?Usually when I?m attacking, good things happen,? Bosh said.
He attacked well enough that Miami built a 16-point lead. Being the Heat, they had to screw around and make things interesting. The 76ers cut it to 88-87 with 2:03 left. Then the ugly girl/forward made two free throws, and that was pretty much that.
?I prepare myself for those moments,? Bosh said.
So is he prepared for what?s next? The Heat will roll through this series. Then Bosh will be looking at guys like Kevin Garnett, Carlos Boozer and Dwight Howard.
We return to the video, which ends with the guy banging his hand on the stapler. After a few tries, guess what?
?Hmm,? the guy said. ?It works.?
It gave new meaning to Like a Bosh. Now we?ll see if the player is ready to do the same.
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