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NBA FINALS: MAVERICKS v HEAT

June 5, 2011

Chris Bosh

DALLAS, TEXAS: Game Three

Miami Heat 88
Dallas Mavericks 86

Q. Chris, at the end of the game, Dwyane talked about how he sort of got on the guys a little, that he felt he needed a little more from all you guys. He said, "but that's the way it is. It's going to be us three. If I have to say something, I do." Was Dwyane sort of at a different level tonight as far as he was going to push you as much as the entire team needed to be pushed?
CHRIS BOSH: First and foremost, he pushed himself. He played spectacular basketball. He was aggressive and took good shots. We rode the wave for a little while. He set the tone for us. When a guy like that is really getting on you and demanding more, that's what team is all about. I think that's what this situation is all about. We have to push each other. It's all about how bad you want to win it. We want to win it very bad.
So if we have to get on each other, we're going to get on each other. And it going to be for the best.

Q. Chris, that eye doesn't look so great. What treatment have you gotten so far? And what do you think you're going to feel like for the next few days?
CHRIS BOSH: I feel great. Just as long as I feel as good as I do now, I'll be all right. Things happen. We just have to take the necessary precautions later, and get ready for Game 4.

Q. What are the trainers saying to you is wrong with you at this point? And how is it limiting your vision?
CHRIS BOSH: It's not limiting my vision. I can see pretty good. I guess -- I don't know. I don't know what it is. We'll spit on it and put a band-aid on it and patch it up later.

Q. Chris, could you talk about Mario Chalmers, what he means to this team. 28 minutes tonight. Four made shots, all of them from behind the arc, three-point plays.
CHRIS BOSH: Mario is a fantastic shooter. When he's spaced and he has time to gather, he can really shoot the basketball. He's production off of our bench. We need him a lot. We need him to play. We need him to get into the offense. We need him to defend and just be himself. When he does that and he's hitting shots and he's aggressive, it helps out our bench points and it spreads the floor, because he's knocking shots down.

Q. Chris, coming back to your hometown, get off to the slow start, get poked in the eye. How did you manage to get yourself in position to finish strong? And also that game-winning shot, how was it to come back with that one?
CHRIS BOSH: It feels good. I'm stuck in a place where I don't feel too good, I don't feel too bad. After every game I just look at the game and think about how I can do better and how this team can do better.
All in all, it's been okay. Being back home and everything is cool, but we're here to win a championship. That's what it's all about. It's good and all, but I'm not going to read too much into it.

Q. Chris, can you talk about sticking with it tonight. You had some periods where you had struggles with your shot, but you had some big baskets down the stretch even before the big one at the end. Just the way the game flowed for you tonight.
CHRIS BOSH: I still have to work on the flow of my game a little bit more. I think I did a better job today than I did last game. There is some improvement there. I just have to get down in the post. If they kick it to me, I just have to be aggressive. I either shoot it or I move it or I drive it. I think when I just make decisive moves, I don't have to be quick or fast. When I make decisive moves, they're quick and I can get to the bucket. Or I have confidence in my shot, and my teammates have confidence in me, too. I just have to let it go.

Q. Chris, do you feel sometimes you're the barometer of the Heat? Dwyane plays well, LeBron plays well, and if you play well, then the big three, you get a lot of point production. Do you feel sometimes that you're the barometer?
CHRIS BOSH: No, not really. I just go out there and play my game. I play basketball. I'm going to get enough touches where I can be successful, and I'm going to see enough situations where I can really break it down. And when I'm aggressive, it really helps out. But at the end of the day, I know how this team works. I'm getting a better feel for the flow of the game.
I'm just going to continue to watch film, continue to try to improve and get better, and really continue to see where I can pick and choose my spots where to be aggressive. If I have a good game, that's great.

Q. You went down immediately when you were raked in the face. What exactly did that feel like?
CHRIS BOSH: Open your eye like this, and I'll poke you in it. (Laughter).

Q. Was there a moment where you thought, I might not be coming into this game?
CHRIS BOSH: Absolutely not. No way. No way. Things are going to happen. It's not about what happens, it's about how you react. We knew this was not going to be easy. I think it's just symbolic of our season, everything. You just have to keep overcoming. If you lose Game 2 at home, blow a 15-point lead and you're out on the road and everything is against you, you have to get it done.
I thought it was quite fitting that I got poked in the eye early. You just have to keep going.

Q. Chris, Udonis was saying in the locker room that you had told him that if he could get a pin-down on Dirk, if anybody had penetration, you would hit that shot. Where did that confidence come in that moment for you to tell him that?
CHRIS BOSH: Just running the play. It was just running the play. We run the play all the time, and I kind of I saw Tyson's body language, and I saw Dirk's body language. You could kind of tell what they're about to do. Especially when Dwyane and LeBron are running screen-and-roll. They both turn their head, I told UD who to hit. He did a fantastic job of screening me. I knew I was going to have an open shot.
When I know I'm going to have an open shot, I know I have to shoot it. I just wanted to have good form, follow through, and I'm lucky.

Q. Did you expect LeBron to back-hand it to you like that? Did you expect him to come that quickly after Dwyane threw it over the double to him?
CHRIS BOSH: Yeah. It was the right play. We've been making the right plays. We trust each other. Our guys have been doing a fantastic job of showing that trust, especially in crunch-time situations. This is as big as it gets. When you can trust somebody to hit him real quick, I think that's great.

Q. You get a lot of attention from the Mavs' centers. How much do you think they missed Haywood's big body? And do you think early on that Tyson was a little bit hesitant to get in the action, just to stay away from early foul trouble?
CHRIS BOSH: Yeah, it's tough. When you know your backup center is down and you're the only center on the team, yeah, it's extremely tough. But I mean, he had a good game. No matter what happened, he still put his print on the game. We're going to have to do a better job of containing Tyson on the rebounds if we want to win this series.
We're going to make the adjustments, and we just have to come out and do a better job and pay attention to detail.
THE MODERATOR: Thanks, Chris.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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