Chris Bosh participates in Miami Heat shootaround but return still uncertain - MiamiHerald.com

BOSTON -- Chris Bosh participated in the Heat’s shootaround before Game 3, but coach Erik Spoelstra still wouldn’t put a firm date on the power forward’s return to action.

Bosh, who missed his eighth consecutive game Friday night, strained an abdominal muscle during Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Spoelstra qualified Bosh’s activity during the shootaround as “very light” but did offer that Bosh played the role of Kevin Garnett, the Celtics power forward/center, during the team’s customary walkthrough.

“[Bosh] was able to do some shooting and some of the walkthrough stuff that we did at the very end,” Spoelstra said. “That was helpful because he’s been involved in Boston prep before, so we had him as Kevin Garnett in our walkthrough.”

Spoelstra was jokingly asked if there were any similarities between Bosh and Garnett, who squared off against each other in last season’s Eastern Conference semifinals.

“If I was to compare them, Kevin Garnett has an incredible motor,” Spoelstra said. “The whole team was going through the walkthrough, so it wasn’t anywhere near real-time speed.”

Although Spoelstra wouldn’t commit to ruling out Bosh for Game 4 on Sunday, it’s doubtful he will play. For now, Bosh will continue to rehab on the Heat’s scout team.

Miami lost two games in a row after initially losing Bosh but has since adjusted to the All-Star’s absence. Entering Friday’s game in Boston, the Heat was averaging 96.8 points per game in the postseason. Miami averaged 98.5 points per game in the regular season.

“Probably the biggest confidence builder for our team was the mere fact that for the last two years we not only couldn’t win without Chris, but we couldn’t play effective without Chris,” Spoelstra said. “He was our most important player. And we’ve had to reinvent ourselves it seems like daily to do that.”

NO REST FOR WEARY

Although the Heat has thrived without Bosh, there is a concern that the additional minutes played by LeBron James and Dwyane Wade to supplement the loss of offense will have an effect as the playoffs progress.

James, who played more than 47 minutes in Game 2, has averaged 42 minutes per game against the Celtics. He averaged 37.8 minutes per game against the Knicks in the first round.

“Our guys are able to log these minutes as long as we can find little pockets of rest â€" even LeBron,” Spoelstra said. “If you didn’t notice, I was able to get him two minutes of game time in the fourth quarter [of Game 2], but it ended up being more than 10 minutes of real time. That’s more than enough time for him in a real competitive game like that.”

James’ READING LIST

James has traded his loud, pregame hip-hop music for some nice and quiet reading time.

“It’s just something I got into for the playoffs,” James said.

Since the second game of the Eastern Conference semifinals, James has spent his time before games lost in the pages of books.

On Friday morning, James began his sixth book of the postseason. He is currently reading the third book of the Hunger Games trilogy, Mockingjay.

“It’s the first time I’ve really done it,” James said. “I guess I haven’t read this much since high school as far as books. But it’s been great to read books here and there.”

James’ postseason reading list: West by West; The Pact: Three Young Men Make a Promise and Fulfill a Dream; The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference; Hunger Games; Catching Fire; and Mockingjay.

Several times throughout his career, James has altered his off-the-court preparation during the playoffs. Last season, James drank a gallon of water during the day before games.