NBA Finals: What Can We Expect From Chris Bosh?

Okay, it's no secret now that Chris Bosh had a terrible conference finals with averages of 11 ppg and 4.3 rpg. At moments he looked soft, lost, and beaten. Heck, he was even dunked on by Paul George.

However, we cannot forget that Bosh was still once a superstar and considered a top-notch power forward. Against Indiana, Bosh was facing a terrible match-up. While spending most of his minutes guarding Roy Hibbert, but also had to deal with strong the muscular David West, tenacious Tyler Hansborough, and athletic Ian Mahimi. At 7'2'' and 280 pds, Hibbert is a big boy (to put it mildly). Considering Hibbert solely plays in the paint (save for a few outside jumpers at the end of the shot clock) and crashes the boards hard (10.4 rpg), Bosh (at 235 pds) was consistently worn down by Hibbert's big frame. This translated itself in the offensive end, as Bosh often looked tired and out-of-sync. His jumper didn't fall as much, which could somewhat be attributed to the tired legs. Additionally, Bosh rarely scored points in the paint, as Hibbert's defensive presence and size served as the perfect roadblock. When Bosh did manage to either catch the ball in the post or get into the lane (off a screen or drive), he didn't show the strength, energy, and elevation needed to finish. Bosh, who is a terrific leaper, had his athleticism negated by the physical play of Indiana's bigs. His shots were often blocked or altered.

Against the Spurs, Bosh has a much better match-up. Tim Duncan, who is playing some of the best ball of his career, is not a physical specimen like Roy Hibbert. Tiago Splitter, while strong, is not as tall as Hibbert, and will not destroy Bosh defensively. Look for Bosh to get a lot more rebounds. Offensively, Bosh will still have to rely on his mid-range, and perhaps long-range, jumper. However, with a much smaller front line, Bosh will be able to score more in the paint. Defensively, Bosh will get the tough assignment of guarding Tim Duncan. Duncan, although arguably the greatest PF (center in my opinion) of all time, will score most of his points off of jump shots. Bosh won't be as tired out by the physical grind of guarding Duncan.

Bottom Line: Look for Bosh to score more in the paint off of rebounds, put-backs, and dump-offs. In terms of shooting, Bosh should shoot better compared to the conference finals. Defensively, Bosh should do a decent job against Duncan.