Parker’s Hurt in Body but Where’s the Heat’s Mind?

Tony Parker says he’ll be ready to go for Game 4 against the Heat but Al Dannity is more concerned about the mental state of Miami than the Frenchman’s physical woes.

Stay outta sight, like a Bosh. Post average numbers, like a Bosh. Need to step up, like a Bosh. That’s the point we’ve reached in not just this series but in these playoffs as a whole. Right now the Heat are hurting and it’s got nothing to do with LeBron James. Chris Bosh and, to an arguably greater extent, Dwayne Wade aren’t pulling their weight. When the Decision was made there was no doubt LeBron would be the boss but he didn’t take his talents to South Beach to lead a ragtag fleet of ring chasers. He tooled up. D-Wade, already bestowed with a championship, and Bosh, a big man with serious all-round talent. These guys are superstars and they haven’t shone since the All Star break.

The easy option would to normally be to look at what LeBron James is doing. The problem is LeBron clearly isn’t the issue here. King James has deferred, he’s done everything he can to bring them into the offence. His cohorts have responded with the type of numbers that you’d expect from a fourth or fifth piece on a team. That’s solid. That gets you starting minutes. It doesn’t get you wins. You don’t win the NBA Finals by leaning on Mario Chalmers, you do so by making sure Chalmers is in position to help.

As we enter Game 4 the talk is naturally of Tony Parker’s injury. This is no Willis Reed situation, nor is it Game 7. Right now the story is still being written. Bosh and Wade must seize tonight’s opportunity. If Miami wants to win the series than they can’t rely on LeBron to be Superman. If they do then the King will get closed down. No they must show San Antonio that overloading on LeBron is a bad mistake. In D-Wade they have a man who can crush opponents with his scoring. Bosh is a solid defender with an exceptional set of offensive skills. It’s time they stopped looking to LeBron to defer. Don’t ask for the ball. Take it and show the Spurs just what happens when you make like a Bosh jokes. Get angry. Get really, really angry. I’m serious. The lack of passion in these superstars is simply unbecoming of them. Bosh and Wade must unleash the fury in Texas. If they don’t, they may not bring this series back to Miami.