Chris Bosh has been the cornerstone of the Raptors since Vince Carter painfully dismissed himself in 2004 and got traded to the NETS. He's a constant competitor and the ultimate professional when it comes to dealing with the media, the fans and teammates. He's always taken the high road after painful losses, instead of blaming teammates he's always saying how much the team as a whole have to play better both defensively and offensively.
This year it seems as though he's taken his game to a whole new level. He had a great Olympics in Beijing averaging 9.1 points per game and leading the team in rebounds with 6.1 boards a game. He also captured a Gold medal. He's on a tear to start the 2008 - 09 season, averaging 24.7 points a game and 10.1 boards a game, he's also top 3 in the NBA in scoring.
However, despite all his success, there is one painful reminder. He hasn't fared well against the best in the league, or in the playoffs. He hasn't won a playoff series in his 5 year career averaging only 17.5 points a game in the 2007 series against New Jersey and even though he fared better against Orlando in 2008 with 24.5 points a game his team got manhandled by his friend and USA teammate Dwight Howard. In the games this year against the top 4 teams in the league, Boston , LA Lakers, Cleveland and UTAH he's averaged 16.5 points, 12 points, 9 points and 18 respectively. The first game against Boston he only put up 9 points. Some will say it was the coaching tactics of Sam Mitchell. In that game they blew a 16 point 4th quarter lead and Bosh according to Mitchell was used as a "decoy" for the other team. However, with Jay Triano at the helm he only put up 9 against LeBron James and the Cavaliers.
There have been alot of superstars that have struggled in their first few years in the league with success. Michael Jordan didn't win a playoff series until his 4th year in the league and didn't win a championship until his 7th year. It looks as though Bosh is taking his career to a whole new level this year being top three in the league in scoring but with the addition of Jermaine ONeal taking some of the pressure off of him it's time for Bosh to taste some success, playoff success. This is the year where he has to win a playoff round or two, otherwise in 2010 we'll be sitting here talking about how he has tasted playoff success, with another team.
Keywords: Chris Bosh, Toronto Raptors
