Chris Bosh's teammates likely never expected to have him on the floor during the playoffs - Bosh essentially told them as much before the postseason began - but on Wednesday, he and the Miami Heat finally made it official.
Bosh desperately wanted to return from the medical condition he's kept quiet about since February, and reportedly even pressured the Heat to allow him to play, to the point it created a schism between him and the organization. Knowing he won't get his wish, the rest of the Heat are playing with some additional perspective and appreciation.
"It makes you come out and just do a little bit more, because you've got somebody who would kill to be out there, who would do anything just to be on the floor," shooting guard Dwyane Wade told reporters Wednesday. "I take that into every game with me, for sure."
Wade's dealing with a health concern of his own, though one that's clearly far less severe than Bosh's. Wade banged his knee on the court near the end of Tuesday's dramatic Game 1 win over the Toronto Raptors and will be re-evaluated before his status is determined for Game 2.
A hobbling Wade and his deflated teammates said they got a lift from Bosh before overtime, after Kyle Lowry's miracle heave tied things up at the regulation buzzer.
"Everybody was quiet except CB," said swingman Joe Johnson. "CB was telling us, 'Man, this (bleep) ain't over. We got to keep grinding. We got five minutes to win this game.' We came out and responded. We got a bucket right off the bat."
That was reflected in what head coach Erik Spoelstra said the team talked about when they realized they would be without Bosh for the remainder of the season.
"We talked about what we are going to miss the most about CB and it wasn't end of possession, throw it to him and he can get you a shot or defensive rotations," Spoelstra said Wednesday, "it was his leadership and his voice. Now he's around the team, he still provides that, and it's a powerful thing."
The Heat have gone an impressive 24-13 without Bosh, and put themselves in a good spot with Tuesday's win, wresting home-court advantage away from the Raptors as they look to advance to the Eastern Conference finals. Still, that can't quite make up for the absence Bosh's teammates felt.
"We know we're missing a huge part of our team," Wade said.
