Can Chris Bosh and the end of the Heat bench beat the Charlotte Bobcats?
Tune in Friday and find out, because the Heat are going to face the Bobcats without LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Ray Allen and Mario Chalmers, coach Erik Spoelstra said on Thursday. As part of the NBA world after David Stern fined the Spurs, the Heat are announcing this in advance and listing injuries for all those players. But make no mistake, this is rest.
Which is what the Heat should be doing — they have locked up home court for the East and home court in the finals, with it’s 2-3-2 format, is less important. What matters is they are physically healthy and even mentally ready and not tired from the grind. Because the playoffs are really their own grind, so like a marathon runner tapers off training the week before a race the top NBA teams rest their stars before the second season.
While most teams at the bottom of the standings have apparently given up — Cleveland has lost 10 in a row, the Magic have won once in their last 10 — the Bobcats are 4-6 in their last 10 games. They still have the worst record in the NBA and are dealing with injuries of their own keeping Ramon Sessions, Byron Mullens and others.
