Raptor Fans Worry About Chris Bosh, Even In Victory

Yes, Chris Bosh hit a game-winning shot last night to give the Raptors an important comeback win over the Hawks. Yes, Bosh helped improve Toronto’s playoff chances.

But on the whole, Bosh kind of stunk last night. He scored just 14 points on just six of 19 shooting and only attempted two free throws the entire game. Had he missed the final shot, more people would be wondering about his recent play. While Bosh continues to be a productive player by anyone else’s standards, his numbers as a whole are down since the all-star break. It’s only natural to connect the dots and wonder if Bosh is playing listlessly because he plans on leaving the Raptors this summer.

That’s what SB Nation’s Raptors blog Raptors HQ fears as well. They make the comparison to Vince Carter’s final days in Toronto and wonder if Bosh is displaying the same kind of uninspired play.

Did I misread Bosh’s body language and really, everything’s fine in Raptorland?

Or was this last losing streak the final straw and indeed, he does have the one proverbial foot out the door?

From this one game, it’s hard to say, although even in the last bunch of losses, it’s pretty obvious that something’s not right. Bosh is not rebounding with the same ferocity, he’s not attacking the basket in nearly the same manner, and his on-court behaviour doesn’t feel the same to me. For instance last night, he seemed to sort of be doing whatever he liked out there. At one point after a missed shot, Josh Smith rebounded the ball and took it up the court, only to have Bosh D him up all the way, until eventually he returned to his own man, Al Horford. It was subtle, but just one of the things Bosh did last night that seemed to represent a bit of a silent middle finger to all.

Maybe I’m reading too much into this. And maybe he’s still injured to a certain extent, which in a strange way would be a relief. But I wonder if this isn’t like being in a relationship with someone who you like, but who you know you don’t have a future with. No matter how great that current girlfriend is, you just know there’s something bigger and better out there for you, and you just can’t get that out of your head.

Meanwhile, Toronto Star columnist Dave Feschuk went a step further, noting that Bosh didn’t so much as acknowledge the crowd when they applauded him for scoring his 15,000th point. Individually, that action doesn’t mean much, but when considered within the context of all the speculation about this summer, it could be telling.

Nobody can firmly declare that Bosh will leave, but these last few games should make Raptors fans worry.