Bosh suggests Gilas to press

For someone who’s familiar with international competition, Miami Heat center Chris Bosh knows whereof he speaks and said recently he’s not ruling out upsets at the FIBA World Cup in Spain on Aug. 30-Sept. 14 with underdogs like the Philippines capable of bringing down favored opponents.

What can Gilas do to win a game or two or three? “Press all the way,” said Bosh who represented the US at the 2006 FIBA World Cup in Saitama and the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. “The key is to believe you can win. No, I’m not playing for the US in Spain, I leave that to the younger guys now.”

The 6-11, 235-pound veteran of 10 NBA seasons was on the US squad that posted an 8-0 record to bag the gold at the Beijing Olympics. He came off the bench in all eight outings to average 9.1 points, 17.2 minutes and a team-leading 6.1 rebounds. Bosh led the US in field goal percentage at .774. His teammates included LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Kobe Bryant, Jason Kidd, Chris Paul and Deron Williams.

At the 2006 FIBA World Cup, Bosh played with Wade, James and another Miami teammate Shane Battier. Other teammates included Joe Johnson, Paul, Elton Brand, Howard and Antwan Jamison. The US squad lost to Greece, 101-95, in the semifinals and beat Argentina, 96-81, in the battle for the bronze medal. Greece and Argentina will be among the Philippines’ opponents in the Group B eliminations of the FIBA World Cup in Spain.

Bosh, 30, was surprised to learn that Brooklyn Nets center Andray Blatche may play for Gilas. He hadn’t heard about Blatche taking out naturalization to gain eligibility as a Philippine player at the FIBA World Cup. “Sure, we’ve played against each other,” said Bosh. “Andray’s a talented guy. He’s a natural scorer. As for defense, it’s all about effort. You put in the effort and you’re fine defensively. I think he can help any team in the World Cup.”

* * * *

Bosh said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra often talks to the team about his experiences in his Filipina mother Elisa Celino’s home country. Spoelstra has visited the Philippines in four of the last five summers to conduct clinics, promote education, health and fitness and connect with Filipino fans. He wasn’t able to visit last year but after leading the Heat to the NBA title in 2012, went back with the championship trophy in tow. In 2011, Spoelstra was in Manila for a 9-day program and hosted the largest NBA Fit event ever in Southeast Asia under the NBA Cares umbrella. It was estimated that Spoelstra’s visits have influenced the lives of over 10,000 underprivileged Filipino youth.

“Coach Spo did a great thing reaching out to people and making everyone aware of the devastation that struck the Philippines last year,” said Bosh. “It made us players realize that life isn’t just basketball, that there’s so much we can do to help out people who are disadvantaged.”

Bosh is known to be family-oriented. He married his wife Adrienne three years ago and has two daughters Trinity and Dylan and a son Jackson. His foundation Team Tomorrow, Inc. is dedicated to supporting community-based organizations that promote the upliftment of children, families and the community.

* * * *

At the American Airlines Arena in Miami last week, Bosh compiled 18 points in 34:17 minutes as Miami beat Toronto, 93-83, to claim pole position in the Eastern Conference with the playoffs just around the corner. Bosh hit back-to-back baskets to push Miami on top, 87-78, after the Raptors came within three at 81-78. His last bucket was a dunk from a steal. The win was bittersweet for Bosh who played his first seven NBA years with the Raptors.

Toronto leads the Atlantic Division with a 45-32 record and is ahead of Brooklyn, New York, Boston and Philadelphia. In the East, the Raptors are third overall and headed for the playoffs. Leading Toronto is DeMar DeRozen who had 16 points and seven assists in the loss to Miami.

“It’s good for the Raptors,” said Bosh quoted by Joseph Goodman in the Miami Herald. “I’ve always been proud of DeMar. He was my (rookie) when I was there, just to see him turn the corner and make not only the playoffs but also the All-Star Game. It’s good for them to move on. It was good for them to kind of clean everything out and have a makeover of the entire organization. They’ve done a good job of bringing in the right players and they’ve done the rest.”

There are still five games left in Toronto’s regular season schedule but the Raptors have already posted their best record since 2007-08 and are advancing to the playoffs after a five-year absence. Miami, however, is in a different class. Against Toronto, the Heat played without Wade and Ray Allen and Spoelstra even benched Battier and Michael Beasley yet the Raptors couldn’t find the antidote to book a win on the road.