The Miami Heat achieved success that they have not replicated ever since LeBron James and Chris Bosh agreed to join them in 2010. They made four consecutive NBA Finals runs, along with two consecutive NBA Titles.
However, despite LeBron’s status as their best player during those runs, Udonis Haslem believes Bosh was more integral to their success than James.
“Everybody thinks that our most important player was Bron. Our most important player, not our best player, but our most important player was (Bosh),” Haslem said on the March 5 episode of “The OGs.” Yeah. He was our most important player. Because if Bron went down, you could bring in D-Wade, and it’s not the same player, but you’re going to get similar results of what you’re going to get out of the player. Making plays, he can go for 30. We couldn’t simulate it. We ain’t have another CB. If [he] went down and he got hurt, we didn’t have another one of those.”
LeBron James won two Most Valuable Player awards during his four years in Miami. Bosh made the All-Star team every year he played with the Heat, including his time with James. They helped the Heat beat the Thunder in 2012 and then the Spurs in 2013. Haslem played with both of them during that time.
Norris Cole Agrees With Udonis Haslem About LeBron James
Udonis Haslem is not the only one who believes Chris Bosh was more valuable than LeBron James. Norris Cole also believes the same thing. Cole explained on the March 7 episode of “Gil’s Arena” why he agreed with Haslem about Bosh.
“We had nobody else like [Bosh]. If Bron went out..Nobody is Bron, but D-Wade can put on a clinic and put 35, 40 up, get eight assists for a couple series if we needed him too. If [Bosh] was out for too long, we had nobody else like him to create those mismatches.”
Cole added that Bosh’s rare skillset helped the Heat win those titles.
“Bron was our best player, but without [Bosh], we don’t win those champs because he’s the only model like him on our team. No one was 6’9, 6’10, who could pick and pop, who could pick and short roll, who could also iso, who could guard multiple positions, who could lead our small-ball lineup. We had nobody else who was like that. We just didn’t.”
Bosh’s development into a stretch-big played a role in the Heat’s success because it gave their frontcourt more spacing. He shot 53.8% from three when they won in 2012 and 40.5% from three in 2013, per Basketball-Reference.
Like Haslem, Cole played for the Heat during their two championship runs with LeBron James.
Mario Chalmers Recalls LeBron James Story
On the February 27 episode of “Playmaker,” former Heat alum Mario Chalmers recalled a story where LeBron James threw a fit.
“That man would lay his whole outfit all over the floor before the game and make sure everybody walks around it,” Chalmers said. “One time the media walked over the jersey, he snapped, and he made the equipment man get him a whole new jersey, shorts, tights, headband, armband, and socks and laid it right back out. Like Bron OCD, superstitious, you know you better walk all the way around it like it’s a chalk outline.”
Chalmers helped the Heat win their two titles in 2012 and 2013.
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Multiple Heat Alumni Say Chris Bosh Was More Valuable Than LeBron James