Before the Bulls-Heat Eastern Conference Finals series began, Chicago forward Carlos Boozer reportedly said the Miami Heat only had two great players. Most people perceived the comment as a slight against Chris Bosh who is the third wheel of Miami’s “Big Three.” Boozer didn’t admit to the comment when pressed later on in the series, but the damage had already been done; Chris Bosh was pissed off and used it as motivation. At least that’s what Dwyane Wade says.
When asked if Boozer’s comment motivated Bosh at all, Wade said after Game 3 “He hasn’t brought it up to us but we understand when something is said public about you that way, any great player is going to respond in a way. I was glad he said that about Chris because he came in with a different focus every day,” Wade said. “From practice, shootaround to the games, Chris had that same focus. We saw that [Sunday] morning at shootaround, everything he did tonight he was doing today. We’re glad he got that challenge, he’s responding to it.”
“We’ll see, hopefully at the end of the series maybe they’ll say something different about him. We understand what he means to us and that’s all that matters,” Wade continued.
We always say that players should play their best no matter the situation, but sometimes disparaging comments can serve as motivation. It sure seems like that’s been the case for Chris Bosh, because he’s been playing lights out for Miami. Maybe Boozer has learned his lesson to keep his mouth shut next time, or back up his mouth on the court.
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