The main story heading into Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals is whether Chris Bosh will suit up for the Miami Heat. That, of course, wasn’t the only news item on Tuesday, as you will see below.
Chris Bosh is officially listed as a game-time decision for tonight’s game, but Brian Windhorst believes Bosh will play: Heat All-Star Chris Bosh has been upgraded to a game-time decision for Tuesday’s Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics. All indications are that Bosh will play after missing three weeks and nine playoff games with a lower abdominal strain.
- Bosh will have to deal with the sad news that his masseuse passed away today, writes Jason McIntyre: Terribly sad story breaking in Miami – Chris Bosh’s masseuse, who survived cancer about a year ago, according to the police report – died Monday morning in Bosh’s Miami house according to the Miami Herald.
- LeBron James regularly gets flack for not being better in the clutch and not showing up in the biggest games. As Gerry Callahan writes, there is something missing in this decade’s biggest star: He’s just not like the other three-time MVPs we’ve watched in recent years. He’s not Bird, not Magic, certainly not Michael. There’s just something missing, or maybe we should say there is something in him that wasn’t there in Bird or Jordan. Fear. Doubt. A vulnerability that makes him more Bard than Bird, more human than Jordan. He thinks, he worries, he does not get better when the moment gets bigger.
- Stephen A. Smith would like to apologize for not believing more in the Celtics.
- News broke yesterday that Neil Olshey will become the new general manager for the Portland Trailblazers. Find all kinds of detail, evaluation and thoughts about the situation. Here is one from John Hollinger: Olshey not only had that rarest of glittering resume lines — “made Clippers relevant” — but all these years with the Clippers have given him the ability to work productively with meddling fools. That’s his greatest qualification for the Portland gig, so it had to kill him that he couldn’t really mention it in the interview.
- One player who won’t care too much about the departure of Olshey in terms of business may be Blake Griffin, who seems destined to stay a Clipper, according to ESPN: The Clippers, sources say, continue to believe that Griffin will accept an extension this summer as opposed to playing out the 2012-13 season and becoming a restricted free agent in July 2013.
If you weren’t sure of Jeremy Lin’s role heading into next season, you can be sure now: “Right now, he is our starting point guard, without a doubt,” Woodson said. “I’ve always believed this: When a starter goes down he doesn’t lose his job because of an injury. You welcome him back with open arms when he gets healthy and you keep it moving.”
- Our editor-in-chief has reported that Dwight Howard wants to leave the Magic, but that didn’t stop Adidas from making these hilarious “Dwight Howard loyalty” t-shirts.
- If you want to see Shaquille O’Neal punch and knee a Charles Barkley pinata, click through the TBJ site.
- After toiling in Milwaukee under Scott Skiles, Stephen Jackson is having a ball with the Spurs. In a recent interview, Captain Jack fired some serious shots at his former coach, according to Jeremy Schmidt: “To me, he was more of a college coach,” Jackson said of Skiles. “Me, personally, I need a coach that I can respect, that’s proven in this league and doesn’t mind taking advice from his players.
- If you want to check out some recent photos of some of the role players in the league, you’ll find it here. Check out what Landry Fields is drinking these days. He does not seem to be enjoying whatever it is, at all. Here’s a picture of Jordan Crawford’s fridge, where he keeps his shoes. And finally, Kris Humphries did some fashion photo shooting. Click at your own peril.
For all blog items you may have missed through the day, click here.
James Park is a regular contributor and blogger for SheridanHoops.com. You can follow him on twitter @nbatupark.