Chris Bosh says Heat season 'more lows that highs'

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Whenever the Heat come together after the NBA lockout, power forward Chris Bosh said Wednesday they still must come together as a team.

Reflecting on both the work stoppage and his team being stopped two victories shy of a championship by the Mavericks in last season’s NBA Finals, Bosh found himself in an introspective mode during an appearance on ESPN Radio’s "Mike & Mike in the Morning" and ESPN2’s "First Take."

"It was highs and lows; it was more lows than highs," he said of the 2010-11 season, the Heat’s first with the collaboration with Bosh, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. "It was tough, because most of the time when we won, it was just a relief. It wasn’t really just like, ’Oh my God, I can’t believe we did it.’ It’s like, ’Whew, OK, that’s over. Now we’ve got Round 2.’ It was a learning experience."

Bosh said part of the equation might have been expecting too much too soon.

"I know coming together as a team doesn’t happen in one year, doesn’t happen in two, sometimes, as far as like being the best you can be," he said. "I kind of knew that it was going to be some tough situations ahead of us. I didn’t know what those tough situations were going to be as a team and individually. We figured that out as time went on.

"But, I mean, for the most part, I knew, and I think we all knew, that it wasn’t going to be easy."

Bosh also addressed the issue of the Heat’s go-to guy.

"I think we figured that Dwyane was our closer. I think we all figured that," he said. "But if LeBron is rolling that night, then we need to get him the ball."

He said chemistry among the three remains a work in progress.

"I think we can do a lot better," he said of motivating each other. "I think we all deferred. . . . Everybody kind of was passive a little bit."

Bosh sidestepped a question about whether the Heat would be better off with team president Pat Riley as coach, noting that Erik Spoelstra is "capable of delivering" if only because of Riley’s faith.

He also admonished "First Take" panelist Skip Bayless for dubbing him "Bosh Spice," saying it was demeaning to the Bosh family name.

"My only problem is the whole misuse of the name," Bosh told Bayless. "If I stink it up on the court, that’s fine.

"My thing is my family, we take a lot of pride in our name. My ancestors, my great-grandfather, my father, my grandfather, my aunts and uncles, we’re very prideful with the Bosh name. I don’t like it being made fun of. I don’t think they appreciate it."

As to when the Heat reconvene, Bosh acknowledged uncertainty due to the lockout.

"Everything is up in the air so much," he said. "The world is going to end one minute; we’re not going to have a season one minute. Then we’re optimistic the next. I’m just trying to stay in that relaxed area, just continuing to work out, do my job, making sure I stay ready."

Earlier in the offseason, Bosh had been linked to a possible overseas option amid the lockout. He essentially shot down that possibility Wednesday.

"I don’t think so. I don’t think," he said. "I’m in the NBA. I love the NBA. I love being home. This is where I play."

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