HEMISPHERESMAGAZINE.COM
•
NOVEMBER 2012
93
HEMISPHERES:
Since we last spoke,
you won the NBA Championship. How
does it feel?
BOSH:
It feels great. Words cannot
describe it. It’s a recurring, awesome
feeling.
HEMISPHERES:
For a while there, it
wasn’t certain whether you’d be able to
play. How frustrating was it to miss out
on those opening playoff games?
BOSH:
It was nine games but it felt
like 100. I wanted to be out there. It
was hard to sit and watch. But the
rest of the team did a great job.
HEMISPHERES:
What sort of spectator
are you? Do you yell?
BOSH:
For the first few games I
didn’t sit on the bench with the team
because I was hurt. But I’m a pre y
vocal spectator. I’m always vocal,
because I’m vocal on the court. If I’m
watching the game on TV and it’s my
team, then I’m talking like I’m out
there, man. I was giving them tips in
the locker room. During the playoffs
the sense of urgency was so high that
I wanted to do anything I could to
help the teamwin, even if it was just
saying something. They made me feel
like I was a part of it. We were always
in it together.
HEMISPHERES:
But you did make
it back for the finals. What do you
remember most from those games?
BOSH:
When we were in it, it felt
extremely slow, but in reality it all
happened in a very short period of
time. The things you savor the most
happen the quickest. You’re like,
“
Man, did that really just happen?”
[
Laughs.] It’s just been a blur, but
that’s how it’s supposed to be and
that makes it a lot of fun.
HEMISPHERES:
Some of the Thunder
players were close to tears on the court
after you won ...
BOSH:
It’s an extremely difficult
situation, to get that far and come
up short. You put everything into it;
you go through so much just ge ing
there. You have to experience it
personally to really knowwhat it
feels like. That was us a year ago.
And when we won this year, we
remembered it. I carried it with me
every day. I thought about it before
every game.
HEMISPHERES:
So what’s your next
move? Do you feel as if there’s even
more pressure on you now?
BOSH:
Yeah, now it’s about defending
the title. Everybody wants to beat the
champions. We’ve put the X on our
own backs, but as long as we leave
the celebrating where it was and
concentrate on what’s next, I think
we’ll be fine. Still, it’s an exciting
feeling for me. It’s another challenge.
We did what
CONTINUED ON PAGE 152
»
CHRIS BOSH
BY THE NUMBERS
$16,022,500
2012
salary
19.8
Points per game (career average)
9.1
Rebounds per game (career average)
49.2
Field goal percentage (career average)
14
Points per game (playoff average)
24
Points scored in Game 5
against Oklahoma City
44
Most points in a game
(
vs. Milwaukee in 2010)
ALLEN EINSTEIN/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES (DUNK); APRIL BELLE
(
TROPHY + FAMILY); ALBERTO E. RODRIGUEZ/GETTY IMAGES (TRIO)
