Am I the only one who thinks Bosh doesn't blink???

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Chris Bosh got up off the mat after getting poked in the eye to hit the game-winner in Game 3.

DALLAS -- On the road, with a battered eye, amid one of the coldest shooting stretches he’s ever endured, Chris Bosh hit the game-winner on the biggest stage of his career.

Bosh was alone. With the game tied and 40 seconds remaining in Game 3, Tyson Chandler left the Miami Heat power forward on the left baseline in order to stop LeBron James’ penetration into the lane. As Chandler met James at the foul line, James immediately turned to his right and flipped a backhanded pass to Bosh, who had missed 11 of his previous 17 shots on the night.

“I saw CB wide open,” James said. “I don't care if he missed 15 in a row, he was wide open and that's his sweet spot."

Without hesitation, Bosh rose up and knocked down the jumper, instantly bringing the 20,000 Dallas Mavericks fans to a hush in AmericanAirlines Center.

Heat 88, Mavericks 86 -- the final score of Game 3.

Following the game, Bosh was alone on another stage, sitting down at the postgame podium and peering into the sea of media. With a tissue in hand, Bosh dabbed at the moisture from his swollen eye.

Considering how violently Bosh writhed on the floor in the first quarter, a return in Game 3 seemed unlikely -- never mind draining the eventual game-winning shot. He had just gotten poked in the eye by Jason Kidd, who swiped his hand at Bosh when he made a move past Chandler. Bosh fell to the ground grabbing his face, and the Mavericks went the other way and hit a 3-pointer against the shorthanded Heat.

How did his eye feel at the time?

“Open your eye like this,” Bosh said after the game, spreading his eye lid open with his left hand. “I’ll poke you in it.”

After a few minutes of attention by Heat trainers, Bosh leapt off the hardwood and trotted over to the Heat bench, still clutching his eye.

The injury clearly bothered Bosh, who has been mired in one of the worst shooting slumps of his career. After the swipe, Bosh missed five of his next seven shots while coughing up the ball twice -- all before halftime. He missed point-blank layups and flubbed dunks in traffic. Bosh, who had averaged 8.9 rebounds in the playoffs entering Sunday’s game, finished the first half with just one rebound.

But we saw a different, sharper Bosh in the second half. In the opening possession of the third quarter, Bosh effortlessly sank a 21-foot jumper. The Heat maintained him as the focal point of the offense, repeatedly running pick-and-rolls with him as the screener. Wade and James never stopped hitting him on rolls and that confidence never waned. Bosh made five of his nine second-half shots, with two of his misses coming on desperate off-balance heaves with an expiring shot clock.

But that final shot from Bosh is what everyone will remember. It was made possible first by Wade when he pulled two defenders toward him out on the perimeter, which started a chain reaction from the Mavericks' defensive rotations. That prompted James to deliver the pass to Bosh in the corner once Dallas' defense spread thin.

But the play doesn’t happen without Udonis Haslem’s tremendous screen on Dirk Nowitzki. Since Chandler rotated onto James, Haslem knew Nowitzki would have to help out on Bosh.

“I told UD who to hit,” Bosh said, describing the play. “He did a fantastic job of screening me. I knew I was going to have an open shot. I just wanted to have good form, follow through. And I’m lucky.”

The effect of Bosh’s eye injury was most evident not in things that he did, but the things he didn’t do. For instance, Bosh completely lost Chandler under the rim on a thunderous dunking putback by the Mavs center in the fourth quarter. As Chandler rose up for the dunk, Bosh could be seen under the basket boxing out nothing but his own shadow.

Bosh said after the game that his vision isn’t limited by the swelling.

“I can see pretty good,” Bosh said. “I don’t know what it is. We’ll spit on it, put a band-aid on it and patch it up later.”

Still, Bosh maintains that there wasn’t any doubt that he would return.

“I think it’s just symbolic of our season, everything,” Bosh said. “You just have to keep overcoming. If you lose Game 2 at home, blow a 15-point lead and you’re out on the road and everything is against you, you have to get it done. I thought it was quite fitting that I got poked in the eye early.”

For Bosh, there were more ups than downs in this game. He’s now shooting just 31 percent from the floor in his first NBA Finals appearance and has missed more layups than he’s made. For the majority of the series, Chandler has tied Bosh in a straitjacket, but the Heat All-Star keeps battling back.

Considering the series-long shooting slump, combined with the eye injury, Bosh was perhaps the unlikeliest of players to hit the game-winner.

All season long, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has emphasized the importance of trusting teammates. That final possession -- the scorching Wade feeding the lukewarm James, then feeding the frigid Bosh for the critical points of the game -- demonstrated that trust.

“It’s the trust we have in each other’s ability,” James said. “No matter what the point of the game is at.”

Bosh added, “We trust each other. Our guys have been doing a fantastic job of showing that trust, especially in crunch-time situations. This is as big as it gets.”

Is Erik Spoelstra right for Miami Heat??

The Miami Heat's players are frustrated with Erik Spoelstra and some are questioning whether he is the right coach for their team, according to people close to the situation. With the ballyhooed Heat losing four of their last five games and sporting a mediocre 9-8 record, the players are privately grumbling about Spoelstra on several fronts.

Sources say the players believe he is not letting them be themselves, that they are questioning his offensive strategies, and that they think he is panicking because he fears losing his job.

Stein on Spoelstra's situation

The pressure on Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has been simmering for a while. ESPN.com's Marc Stein has some perspective on where we've been, and where we might be headed. Blog

"Right now, in my opinion, no one is doing a good job," said Heat guard Dwyane Wade, asked Monday about Spoelstra's performance. "We're 9-and-8. We're all in this together. The players are not doing a good job. The coach is not doing a good job."

In contrast to the popular view that Spoelstra has been hesitant to jump on Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh, sources say the Heat coach has shown no fear in criticizing them.

Exhibit A was a recent shootaround in which Spoelstra told James that he had to get more serious. The source said Spoelstra called James out in front of the entire team, telling him, "I can't tell when you're serious."

"He's jumping on them," one source said. "If anything, he's been too tough on them. Everybody knows LeBron is playful and likes to joke around, but Spoelstra told him in front of the whole team that he has to get more serious. The players couldn't believe it. They feel like Spoelstra's not letting them be themselves."

But Spoelstra, at the Heat's morning shootaround ahead of Monday night's game against Washington, said players and coaches don't always get along -- and that's normal.

"A coach-player relationship in this league often will be confrontational at times. And other times, it's smooth sailing," he said. "But just the dynamic of the competitive nature of everybody, expectations, results -- all these things combine, yeah, sometimes it will get testy. And that's good. Especially when people have a pure heart and mind about getting better, that just shows that the sides want to make it right."

While he talked about his team's frustration at its play not yet matching its lofty expectations, Spoelstra did not directly respond to the comments.

"If it's an unnamed source, I have no comment about that. That could come from anywhere," he said. "I think the guys in our locker room are pure about what we need to get done and to improve and that's all I'll comment on. Anything else is really just speculation."

Wade said winning will fix everything.

"When success comes we win as a whole," he said. "If we win four in a row, coach is going to look great. If we have a good December, you're going to be talking about coach of the year. And he might not change a thing."

It is not known whether the players voiced their concerns about Spoelstra during their players-only meeting following Saturday's loss at Dallas. Nor is it apparent whether the bump between James and Spoelstra during a timeout in that game was accidental or a result of tension between the two.

Spoelstra said he "didn't even notice" the bump until it was mentioned after the game.

"Coming out of the timeout, it's a pinball at the game, I'm colliding into a lot of people. So it's probably a perfect case of overspeculation from this team," he said Monday.

"I was fine with that timeout. The fact that guys are not happy about the play, tempers rose, you could see the fire and passion in people's eyes. That's the way it should be," he added. "None of us should be happy about what was going on in the third quarter and taking it in stride."

According to the sources, the Heat players believe Spoelstra's offensive strategies have been too simplistic. They feel like he is running nothing but pick-and-rolls and telling the Heat's secondary players to find open spots on the floor for catch-and-shoot jumpers.

The sources said the players also think the constant speculation about Spoelstra's job security is getting to the third-year coach and that he has resorted to nitpicking over minor details because of it.

"He's not a motivator," one of the sources said. "Instead of coaching he's at the point where the players are starting to sense that he's fearing for his job."

While the players may have their doubts about Spoelstra, it is not clear whether they want team president Pat Riley to coach them. Several people close to the situation said Wade definitely does not want Riley to come down to the sidelines. Sources also said that while recruiting players this past summer, Riley insisted that he would not coach the team.

"Riley kept saying 'Spoelstra's a good coach and he'll grow into a great coach,' " a source said. "He said he got his coaching break [with the Los Angeles Lakers] around the same age as Spoelstra got his."

It is widely believed that Riley does not want to coach this season. However, one source said that privately Riley has at times been critical of the Heat's game-planning.

While expectations around the league have started to lessen for the Heat because of their struggles, the sources said the players still have a championship-or-bust mentality for this season and that they are open to whatever changes are necessary to get there.

"Come on, if you lose, no one's going to be happy and nor should they be," Spoelstra said Monday. "Our group is still connected. So we're still trying to work and get better. That's the only thing we're focused on right now. As all the noise starts to raise outside of our circle, we have to stay connected and get through this. It will get better. "

While the players think that may mean a coaching change, one member of the Heat organization said the team is suffering from a lack of leadership from the players, not the coach.

"They don't want to step on each other's toes," the person said. "There's no leader on the team. Somebody has to speak up and be the leader on the team. They can't be afraid to step on people's toes. They need a vocal leader who's going to make everybody accountable. I don't think it's on the coach. It's on the players."

 Information from The Associated Press is also included.

Raptors GM: Trade adds to team core

TORONTO -- The Toronto Raptors are putting Chris Bosh behind them and looking toward the future.

A day after swinging a five-player deal with the New Orleans Hornets, Raptors president and general manager Bryan Colangelo says he added to his team's young core and increased his financial flexibility.

Toronto swapped guards Jarrett Jack and Marcus Banks and center David Andersen for guard Jerryd Bayless and swingman Peja Stojakovic.

The Raptors lost their lone All-Star when Bosh signed with the Miami Heat last summer and are off to a 4-9 start this season. Now in his fourth season in charge, Colangelo is looking forward as he attempts to steer Toronto back into the playoffs.

"It's pretty obvious this trade was made with the future in mind," Colangelo said Sunday. "If the last four years were building around Chris Bosh, then next four years are about building without Chris Bosh. This is a step in that direction."

Stojakovic's contract expires after this season, and Colangelo said he has close to $25 million in expiring contracts. He also has more than $12 million left on a trade exception that was part of Bosh's sign-and-trade deal with the Miami Heat.

With the NBA's financial landscape expected to change as the league prepares for labor talks with the players, Colangelo feels good about his balance sheet.

"We've got a chance to be nimble here with respect to what the new rules look like," he said.

Along with Bayless, 23, Toronto has four other core players all under the age of 25. GuardDeMar DeRozan, 21 was the team's first-round pick last year, forward Ed Davis, 21 was a first-round pick this year, forward Amir Johnson, 23, signed a five-year contract this summer and guard Sonny Weems, 24 is the team's second-leading scorer.

"Whether or not we win games is really not the true issue right now, it's how much we're growing as an organization, how much these young kids are coming along," Colangelo said.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

Celtics--Heat Recap

BOSTON -- LeBron James was a rare bright spot for Miami with 31 points as the new Big 3 fell in its debut to the old Big 3 of the Boston Celtics, 88-80, before a loud crowd that shouted "Overrated!" at the Heat on Tuesday night.

Boston led 45-30 at halftime, but Miami cut that to 63-57 after the third quarter behind James' 15 points in that period. A layup by James made it 83-80 with 1:10 left in the game. But Boston, which once led by 19, got the last five points on a 3-pointer by Ray Allen and two free throws by Paul Pierce.

The other members off Miami's trio struggled, with Dwyane Wade scoring 13 points and Chris Bosh adding eight points and eight rebounds.

Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press

Bosh: James is taking criticism as FUEL

Whether it's to live up to high expectations or to prove doubters wrong, the Miami Heat's new stars are gathering motivation from different sources for the coming season.

LeBron James, in a comment posted on his Twitter account Tuesday, said: "Don't think for one min that I haven't been taking mental notes of everyone taking shots at me this summer. And I mean everyone!"

In an interview Wednesday on ESPN's "Mike & Mike in the Morning," James' new teammateChris Bosh said James is using criticism about his departure from Cleveland "as fuel to do well next season."

"We're always all aware of what we do and how critics can be out there sometimes," Bosh said. "[James] uses it to fuel his ambition to win next year. I think we're going to have a lot of doubters. But that's fine, you know, that's a part of the game. As long as we come together and play the game the way it's supposed to be played I think we're going to be successful."

Motivation for Bosh and the Heat also comes from within. And the team's own expectation for the coming season is nothing short of an NBA title, Bosh said.

"We have to talk championship," he said. "I expect to win a championship and anything else is a failure -- and I think every person in that organization feels the same way."

Some outsiders' high expectations for the Heat are another source of fuel, Bosh said, when asked about ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy's prediction that Miami, now featuring James, Bosh and Dwyane Wade, are overwhelming favorites to win the NBA title.

Van Gundy also predicted Miami will threaten NBA records, including the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls' 72 wins and the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers' 33-game win streak.

"I'm not going to sit here and say it's not possible. But it's going to take a lot of hard work," Bosh said. "Of course we're not just going to show up ... and we know things are not going to be handed to us."

“

I expect to win a championship and anything else is a failure -- and I think every person in that organization feels the same way.

”-- Chris Bosh

Although it's "cool" to hear people predict great things for the Heat, "I think that's going to put a bigger target on our backs," Bosh said. "But that's part of the game. We knew that was going to happen before we even got together."

Bosh also addressed criticism from Toronto Raptors general manager Bryan Colangelo, who hinted in comments after Bosh left Toronto that the power forward was distracted by free agency and didn't give his all last season.

Bosh said Colangelo's comments were "unfortunate," adding that the two have not spoken since.

"That's how he handled it ... All I can do is react and just stay grounded and stay humble and just keep doing what I'm doing," Bosh said. "It doesn't bother me because I know I've never quit at any point in my NBA career, in my lifetime, playing basketball."