Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh haven't been there for LeBron James

[simmytbone]

http://articles.latimes.com/2013/jun...inals-20130608

Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh haven't been there for LeBron James
By Mike Bresnahan

James has put up impressive numbers throughout the NBA playoffs, but Wade and Bosh have provided little help. The Miami Heat hosts the San Antonio Spurs in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday.

MIAMI — Dwyane Wade was back, ripping through the San Antonio defense as if he never felt the effects of his troublesome right knee.

Then, just as suddenly, he disappeared again, going scoreless in the fourth quarter Thursday as the Miami Heat lost Game 1 of the NBA Finals, 92-88.

It could have been worse. Wade could have been Chris Bosh, an in-game no-show for almost two weeks now and a six-for-16 shooting participant (37.5%) in the opener against San Antonio.

It's almost official — Miami has been reduced to the Big One and the Other Two.

LeBron James keeps pumping out ridiculous stat lines — 18 points, 18 rebounds, 10 assists in Game 1 — but not enough to beat a crafty, been-there, done-that Spurs team.

It got so bad for Bosh that ABC analyst Jeff Van Gundy was openly questioning his shot selection, which included misses on all four three-point attempts, none more critical than a wide-open clunker from behind the arc with one minute to play.

It would have brought the Heat within a point of the Spurs. Instead it brought more questions. Will Wade and Bosh make an impact this series? Game 2 is Sunday in Miami.

Somewhat defiantly, Bosh promised to keep taking open shots and said it was "cool with me" if the Spurs kept leaving him alone around the arc.

"I'm not going to compromise my whole body of work off of one series or two games or three games or half a season for that matter," said Bosh, a solid 48% from three-point range in the playoffs before Game 1.

Bosh, though, hasn't experienced a slump like this, scoring in single digits in the final four games of the Heat's achingly long seven-game series against Indiana in the Eastern Conference finals.

Then there's the curious case of Wade.

He looked like himself through three quarters Thursday, scoring 17 points and committing only one turnover. But he took only two fourth-quarter shots, missing both, as the Heat scored only 16 points and lost a slim three-point lead.

Chris "Birdman" Andersen, of all people, had more points (four) than Wade down the stretch.

Wade's knee, which has sustained repeated bruises in recent months, is now a "quarter-to-quarter" thing, Wade said Friday.

"You get out on the court and you figure it out," he said. "A couple of [times] I got out before the game, I thought, 'Oh yeah, this is my night.' I got out there and it was, 'Oh no, it's not.' It's one of those things…"

The good news for Wade: Miami lost Game 1 of the Finals both times he was part of championship-winning teams here.

The bad news for Wade: James dropped some hints about being drained when asked about his "general fatigue level" right now.

"It is tough. But it is what it is," James said. "I put myself in a position to try to do everything for this team, a little bit of everything, and put myself in a position to win. It's very challenging mentally, physically."

Then he articulated what would just as easily be a wise motto for the Other Two.

"There's not too many days left," James said.

Happier team

Meanwhile, San Antonio was still amped from Tony Parker's banked-in leaner that somehow got past James' flailing arms with 5.2 seconds to play in Game 1.

Before coming to practice Friday, Manu Ginobili watched only one replay from Thursday's game.

"I wanted to see how did he do it to get that shot off," Ginobili said. "It was an incredible shot… one of those shots that happens once in a while."

Or practically never.

Parker, though, tried to downplay it a day later.

"It will only mean something if we win the championship," he said Friday. "And so that's why like all my friends, my family, they were going crazy. I'm like, 'You have to stop going crazy. We only won one game.'"

credit: latimes.com

[MrCleveland]

I have NO doubt this Dream Team will go separate ways if the Heat don't win the Finals.

Wade and/or Bosch will go to San Antonio with LeBron either staying in Miami...or going to another struggling team (which ISN'T the Cavs)!

[isiahthomas]

I think Miami will win the championship again next season but Chris Bosh needs to be traded because he had a terrible playoffs. Dwayne Wade should stay because even though he didn't do much either in the playoffs, he probably averaged more points than Chris. I think Dwayne is more reliable than Chris but Dwayne should think about retiring if Miami wins the championship again next season because his ankle has been bothering him. Lebron might retire with Miami. I thought that he might consider going back to Cleveland near the end of his career and he might surprise some people and do that but if he doesn't do that, then i think he'll stay with Miami.

[Marvo301]

At least D-Wade had an excuse for not playing as well as expected during the playoffs. He was playing with nagging injuries. Bosh as far as I know wasn't. So he just didn't do his job. It seems Miami only have a big two at best not a big three.