If Erik Spoesltra decides to begin the game with Chris Bosh on the bench, he might get burned.
Maybe he is just pulling a Bill Belichik and not being completely honest about is gameplans prior to the start fo the game?
The have three possible replacements and they really do not favor the Heat are Ronny Turiaf, Joel Anthony and Udonis Haslem.
Does he really expect these guys to be able to hold off either Serge Ibaka or Kendrick Perkins?
With Bosh in the lineup, the Heat will have the height advantage. The last thing you would want the Oklahoma City Thunder to do is get second chance points.
Granted that it will be difficult for Bosh to get inside position on the stronger Ibaka and Perkins, he still provides the length Miami needs. If he cannot body the players, then he can at least try getting tipped balls.
Turiaf, Perkins and Ibaka are all 6' 10". Chris Bosh is 6' 11" and probably has the best hops next to Ibaka, who actually dunked from the free throw line in the 2011 Dunk Contest but only received a 45. Where was the instant replay on that one?
Playing small and having Haslem out there does not work for the Heat. Perkins can play the outside and block Haslem's perimeter jumper, meanwhile Ibaka can clean out the boards.
The Heat had the luxury of starting small against the Boston Celtics, but saw this was not giving them results, hence why Bosh played a total of 31 minutes in Game 7.
Having Chris Bosh in the middle of the paint helps them balance out their team. When the Heat call an isolation for LeBron or Wade, Bosh can stand in the outside and can make a few threes.
However, the Heat cannot get comfortable with this since they will need Bosh to be more of a conventional center. He has to be around the paint and refrain from bouncing to the outside too often.
With Bosh in the paint, he can pull down rebounds and, if possible, get a few blocks. The blocks can then spark the offense and turn into fastbreak points. Everybody knows Miami is at their best when they are on the fastbreak.
If Bosh is healthy, then he will be able to return to the starting lineup. The Heat are going to need him for as long as they remain alive in this series.
