Chris Bosh targets greatness with Miami

In Mumbai for NBA’s promotional event,where a media bevy laboured on teaching him the precise enunciation of the word ‘Namaste’,Bosh spelled out his not-so-humble ambition of becoming a part of the greatest basketball team ever. “We’ve talked (in the Heat dressing room) about greatness often,as also about securing our legacy. Speaking about how great we want to be has helped us,especially when we were down as a team,” he said. “We want to be the greatest of all time,but that needs a large body of work.” What is dismissed as the Galactico’s flashy play — by Heat’s naysayers — Bosh describes as “beautiful chemistry between star players.”

“My full-time job in the off-season is to have fun,” he chuckles. A nice feint. What marks out Bosh as someone incredibly driven to seek success is that even in his down-time,lounging in distant India,he follows every NBA tidbit as a development with ramifications on Heat’s future championship campaigns. So,team-mate Mike Miller’s departure,and waiver from the Heat roster as part of the amnesty provision receives a purr of ‘will miss him’ wistfulness,before pragmatism slides in. “I just hate that he’ll be picked by another team and we’ll have to defend against him,” says the 8-time All Star,who recently completed Heat’s second Championship in two years,but clearly wants to win more.

Miller’s three-pointers and general hustling are irreplaceable. “He was a close friend and a brother. But unfortunately,it’s a part of the NBA business. If we had our way,we’d want him to stay. Now we prep to face him.”

The 6’11” power forward idolises opposite number Tim Duncan,besides Kevin Garnett. He also believes in emulation as the best form of flattery. “It’s great to play opposing Duncan,because I’ve always wanted to compete against the best. And because he was one of my heroes,I want everything he has. I want to be just like him,and he has 4 Championships,” he declares with an ominous hiss.

Bosh doesn’t quite keep up to speed with freshly drafted talent,but perceives them as future threats. “There’s a lot of upcoming players who will challenge us in the future,” says one of the leanest big men from the top flight.

His move from the small-scaled Toronto Raptors was his ultimate expression of ambition. “It was difficult to leave for I considered it home,and I was leaving the comfort zone. I took that pride in the Raptors,but there came a time when I needed to think of Championship glory.”

So,even as murmurs of LeBron James eventually heading back to Cleveland some day resurface,Bosh presents the picture of a rock that will weather all storms,even an inevitable departure of a talisman.

“We’ve been through these situations so many times. We have a lot more work to do as a team. Guys will make their decisions. We can’t worry,we’ll just try staying together,” he says. Hence Title No 2 for Bosh was a bead on the string,and the pursuit nothing less than a battle. “Goals change as life goes on,so after the first,this year was about defending that. After accomplishing something,your wants and desires change,so the major difficulty after winning the first title last year was knowing how tough it would be to go through it all again.”

Crucial play

Even as time slowed down in Game 6 — “though everyone says it was over in a hurry” — Chris Bosh who made an important play to push a game the Heat were losing into over-time,and pull them from the brink,says,”I was lucky to make the right play at the right time. Then LeBron and Ray Allen took over,” he recalls. In the few time-outs,Bosh had seen supporters walking away from them into the Arena exits,and it’s a grudge he will nurse . Neither will Bosh forget his humbling at the hands of Mavericks in 2011.

“I didn’t want to feel that pain anymore.” Chris Bosh,the most intellectual of the musketeer trio,is prepared to channel any reverse into a Championship goal,as the Miami Heat legacy gets set in stone.