MIAMI The news that Chris Bosh may very well be back in the Miami Heat's lineup for Tuesday night's Game 5 matchup with the Boston Celtics caught some by surprise.
C's coach Doc Rivers wasn't one of them.
In fact, every game plan the Celtics have worked on in this series, had a component to it that addressed Bosh being on the floor.
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"We don't have to do anything different," Rivers said in a teleconference with reporters on Monday. "We've prepared every game like Bosh is going to play. Eventually he will; it may be tomorrow."
Bosh has missed Miami's last nine games with an abdominal strain. His workout regimen has reportedly picked up to where it's not out of the question to believe that he could be on the floor tonight.
"I'll continue to make my evaluations," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters. "To say it's definitive (for Game 5) is premature. Each day is a new evaluation. He had three good workouts in Boston. Reality is it's not a normal situation. Everything is heightened. If he doesn't play, it's not a setback."
The potential return of Bosh will certainly bolster a Miami Heat team that has had problems - lots of problems - with Kevin Garnett.
In this series, Garnett has averaged 20.5 points and a series-best 10.8 rebounds per game. And a sizable amount of Garnett's scoring has come in the post where the Heat have not been able to defend him in the paint or on the perimeter.
But the return of Bosh should at the very least, make it tougher for Garnett to have his way down low.
"Kevin's going to try and post-up whoever they throw out there," Rivers said. "And we're going to try and post him up. So, it's just another body.
Rivers added, "Chris is obviously very talented and poses his own problems. But I don't think Kevin is going to be that concerned. With whoever is there, he's going to try and play against them."
With Bosh's possible return to the Heat lineup, it will surely mean a Heat role player or two will get bumped out of their spot in the rotation.
It'll help the team, but there's no telling if his return will hurt more than it helps them early on.
Rivers has had more than his share of players miss a few games due to an injury, so he understands all too well the delicate balance between team chemistry and having your best players available.
"For the player, you just want him to just be, him," said Doc Rivers.
For Bosh, that would mean him establishing himself as an inside-outside threat and providing a better defensive presence in trying to deal with Kevin Garnett.
"Especially if the team's playing wellyou don't want a guy to get in the way. But as a coach, you do want them to get in a the way. You want him to play the way he plays. You don't want him to play any differently. I'm sure that's what they'll do with Chris (in Game 5)."