Erik Spoelstra: Chris Bosh Is Heat’s ‘Most Important Player’

CB4’s efficient offensive onslaught (9-11 field goals and a game-high 24 points) was a big reason why Miami improved to 8-3 last night, despite DWade’s absence and LeBron’s battle with the flu. After the game, Erik Spoelstra had nothing but high praise for his team’s center (via PBT): “Bosh had 16 first-half points, and finished with 24 on 9-of-11 shooting, to go along with nine rebounds, three assists, and two blocked shots. Without that effort, it’s unlikely that Miami would have had the horses to get this win. Both James and Erik Spoelstra were well aware of this afterward, and had nothing but high praise for their team’s most quiet superstar. ‘He’s such an impact to our team, so efficient,’ James said. ‘He gets his points so quietly, makes jumpshots, gets to the free throw line, makes things happen for our team and we all feed off of that. And I tried to feed off of that as well.’ Spoelstra took it a step further, after noting it took him two and a half minutes into his postgame press conference before Bosh’s name even came up. ‘He is our most important player, and he’s as steady and consistent as he always has been for the last two and a half years,’ Spoelstra said. ‘He makes it look easy and he makes it look quiet, and yet he’s so impactful in the game. He was big under the rim and not just his scoring, but the big plays defensively at the end.'”