Bosh Coming Back? Heat Big Man A ‘Game-Time Decision’ For Game 5

Rajon Rondo missed 10 shots in the paint in the Boston Celtics’ Game 1 Eastern Conference loss to the Miami Heat. Midway through the first quarter of Game 5, he already has missed four shots in the paint, and picked up one offensive foul trying to drive to score against Mario Chalmers.

I guess this explains his lack of aggression.

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Most who cover the Miami Heat seem to think star forward Chris Bosh will make his return from an abdominal injury for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night. As it turns out, the muscle strain may be the least of Bosh’s problems.

In a pretty stunning story, the Heat star witnessed the death of his masseuse on Monday morning.

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The initial injury happened three weeks ago, and 10 days ago would have allowed Bosh to return for the previous series. Earlier in the press conference, Spoelstra denied speculation that Bosh would return for Game 5 against the Celtics on Tuesday night, saying that it’s “too early to go there.”

The Celtics and Heat resume their series on Tuesday night at 8:30. The teams are tied at two games apiece.

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It’ll be interesting to see how effective Bosh actually is when he returns considering the length of time he’s been in a suit on the bench ... not to mention the underrated seriousness of an abdominal strain. Either way, the team with more talent available usually ends up winning.

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ESPN.com’s Michael Wallace has some quotes from Heat practice:

The initial diagnosis on Bosh was that he could return in time for some part the Eastern Conference Finals. Right now it looks like one of the following is true:

The Miami Heat looked as bad as they have all postseason in a Game 3 loss to the Boston Celtics on Friday. In particular, Kevin Garnett was a destroyer and Miami’s small lineups were ineffective. Given that Chris Bosh’s initial prognosis was that he could return sometime in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Game 3 result has naturally led to questions about whether the power forward would hit the court in time to help get Miami a win in Boston and a commanding 3-1.

That remains unclear, but the Heat’s other two stars aren’t counting on it. Here’s what LeBron James said in the post-game on Friday.

Bosh seems to be recuperating from the abdominal strain that’s caused him to miss the last two weeks, but it doesn’t sound as though the recovery is going quickly enough for him to be ready to play in Game 1 on Monday night. Bosh was able to go through a workout on Sunday afternoon, according to ESPN’s Michael Wallace, but it doesn’t sound as though that changed anything for the immediate future.

Bosh’s presence on the floor opens quite a few things up for the Heat, but if he’s unable to go, the Heat’s “small” ball lineup could also give the Celtics fits as they attempt to matchup on the defensive end.

There’s also a chance that even that timeline could be optimistic.

Bottom line: Heat fans should not expect Bosh back in the lineup for a while.

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According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the injury is likely a major concern and something that could sideline Bosh for the remainder of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

As pointed out by Windhorst, the Heat did win the rebounding battle in the second half of today’s game. That’s the good news.

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Here’s the play.

Bosh had a very strong first half, posting 13 points and five rebounds. If he cannot play for a significant period of time, Miami is in trouble.