Heat's Bosh returns to hometown of Dallas

DALLAS -- The first time Chris Bosh returned to Dallas as an NBA player in 2003, he needed 175 tickets for family and friends.

He won't get anywhere near that many on this trip home.

"You don't get your hands on extra tickets," Bosh said. "The ticket thing, man, it's something else." Especially now, in the NBA Finals.

Bosh and the Miami Heat arrived in Dallas on Friday to begin prepping for Sunday night's Game 3 of the Finals. The series is knotted at a game apiece, with the next three games on the Mavericks' home floor -- meaning Miami will need a road win to keep its title hopes alive. And to Bosh, that's all that matters.

He was a high school star in Dallas, leading a team to a 40-0 record and a state title, but the jolt of energy that accompanied returning to his hometown as an opponent began to dim a long time ago. It's almost just another stop on the NBA schedule now, and given the stakes the Heat and Mavericks are playing for, Bosh doesn't see anything wrong with that way of thinking.

"My family and I have had conversations about the difference of the regular season and now," Bosh said. "The thrill of playing at home is gone. I just concentrate on trying to win games. I've been there a bunch of times, played in that arena my fair share of times. I go back all the time. Nothing's changed, it looks the same, the people are the same. That's why the thrill is kind of gone. As you get older, it becomes more of a task."

Nothing compares to the task that awaits Bosh and the Heat now. Dallas fans still are smarting after seeing the Heat celebrate the 2006 NBA title on the Mavericks' floor -- having taken four straight after the Mavs won the first two games -- and there's nothing Dallas would enjoy more than wrapping up this series and hoisting their first championship trophy Thursday.

Dallas outscored Miami 22-5 to close Game 2, a stunning rally that rescued the Mavs from a 15-point hole and carried them to a 95-93 win.

Bosh is averaging 15.5 points in the Finals and his shooting has been atrocious at 9-for-34. Maybe a trip home will provide a boost after all, even though Bosh steadfastly has said he will not let Dallas become a Texas-sized distraction.

"He's had that all year long," coach Erik Spoelstra said. "He's a very intelligent, mature player and person. He's able to compartmentalize things in his life and in his profession. He keeps an even keel, but don't mistake that for a lack of competitiveness. He has a burning fire inside of him. It took me a little bit by surprise."

LeBron James will forever be tied to Cleveland, Dwyane Wade grew up rooting for his hometown Chicago Bulls, and trips to those cities will be emotional for those two Bosh teammates throughout the remainder of their careers. But with Bosh, that doesn't seem to be the case.

It might be harder for Bosh to have the just-another-game approach had he been a Mavericks fan growing up. Truth be told, he hardly followed the Mavs as a kid, focusing more on individual players instead.

"They struggled," Bosh said. "They struggled for a number of years and they always tried different formulas. They always went to the drawing board and when things didn't work, they just kept trying, kept trying, kept trying until about 10, 12 years ago they really started to turn the curve."