MIAMI -- Chris Bosh has watched the birth of his son, collapsed to the court in agony with a strained abdominal muscle, seen his team sputter many times during nine games without him, then dealt with the death of a masseuse who was stricken at his home. Ryan Kerrigan Jersey . And all since this Miami Heat playoff run began. "I think about those things every day," Bosh said. His run of emotional ebbs and flows in recent weeks is on the upswing again. Hes returning to the NBA finals, and if the Heat are going to win it this time Bosh likely will have to play a major role when they take on the Oklahoma City Thunder starting on Tuesday night. His importance is unquestioned, at least by the Heat. Where he exactly fits in the rotation these days, thats still in some doubt. Bosh says its "irrelevant" as long as hes getting minutes. He didnt start any of the three games he played in the Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics. But with the series -- and the entirety of a championship-or-bust season -- on the line in the fourth quarter of Game 7, Bosh hit perhaps the most important shot of all, a 3-pointer that helped kickstart what became a 20-6 run to end the game. Bosh may be viewed as the third wheel of Miamis Big Three by those on the outside. Within the Heat locker room, maybe no other player is more valued, especially by the other two sides of the superstar Heat triangle, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. "Chris is big," James said after Game 7. "Huge," Wade added. "Game ball automatically goes to him," James continued. "Without his production tonight, we dont win. ... We havent had that type of activity, that firepower off the bench since we got here. Its unique. Its very unique that CB is coming off the bench, but it may be something great for us." For two years, the debate about Boshs role on the Heat has largely revolved around him being either a power forward or a centre. Now, its between him being a starter or a finisher. He played the entire fourth quarter of Game 7 against Boston, sans the final few seconds after Heat coach Erik Spoelstra took him out with the outcome decided. Bosh finished with 19 points and eight rebounds -- virtually mirroring his regular season averages, and just the fourth time a Heat player put up those numbers in a playoff game as a reserve. "I just wanted to get out there as soon as possible and contribute to this team," Bosh said. "Thats all I kept thinking about from the moment I went out against Indiana in the second round. It was very deflating at first, but I just had to keep my mind. That was the biggest challenge that I ever had in my life, to make sure I stay ready, so when the time did come, I would be able to contribute." Bosh got hurt in Game 1 of the Indiana series. Strained abdominal muscles are tricky, in that rest is often the best way to heal them. But in the midst of the NBA playoffs, Bosh had to keep up some level of conditioning as well. Somehow, the balancing act worked, even amid other massive challenges. Bosh and his wife Adrienne welcomed a newborn into the world during Miamis first-round series against New York. He has been dealing with visitation issues involving his first child, an ongoing fight that he rarely speaks publicly about. And just this past week, a masseuse Bosh and his wife have used at times was summoned to their home, where she fell ill suddenly and was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. Less than 24 hours after that, Bosh was back on the court for the first time since getting hurt, fighting through all sorts of emotions. "What Ive experienced, what Ive seen," Bosh said. "One thing that has helped me is that you never know when youll be able to play this game again. You never know what tomorrow brings. And so you might as well have fun, let it all hang out and just do what you were put on this Earth to do while youre here. And I just want to maximize my time playing this game. I know I cant play it forever." He was at his best in Game 7, shooting 8 for 10, making three 3-pointers for the first time as a pro -- the last time he did it, Cornell was the opponent. "He was the X-factor," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said afterward. "He gave them exactly what they needed." Bosh left the floor in tears after Miami fell in six games to the Dallas Mavericks in last seasons finals, his moment of anguish captured by television cameras that he didnt know were rolling on the hallway connecting the court with the Heat locker room. Hed do anything to avoid that scene again, which is why he isnt wrapped up in starting or not starting. Its an intriguing possibility -- the Heat could keep using Bosh off the bench, much in the same way Oklahoma City uses the third member of its version of a Big Three, James Harden, as a reserve to help take some of the pressure off Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Whatever works, Bosh said. "Even though we didnt admit it, we all had a big pit in our stomach when we saw him walking off the court in Game 1 of the Indiana series," Spoelstra said. "We all shuddered at the thought (of him missing the rest of the playoffs). We played tough, but we knew that for two years he had been our most important player, because he makes it all work." Madieu Williams Jersey . Wednesdays 4-hour, 25-minute marathon matinee ended with rookie Jake Diekman giving up a two-run homer to Matt Kemp in the 12th, giving the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-3 victory and snapping the Phillies modest four-game winning streak. Russ Grimm Jersey . The deal includes a $1 million signing bonus on top of a $4 million annual salary as well as a modified no-trade clause. http://www.shopred... . Phillips homered and drove in a pair of runs Tuesday night, and Mike Leake pitched seven innings and scored off a dash home on a wild pitch, setting up a 5-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates that moved Cincinnati another step closer to the NL Central title. [url=http://www.shopredskinsgear.us/clinton-portis-redskins-jersey/]Clinton Portis Jersey . Holland (6-4) entered the game with a 5.05 ERA and only one scoreless start in 2012, which was when he threw six innings at Baltimore on May 10. Friday, he threw 7 2-3 innings, struck out four, walked two and didnt allow a run. Fred Davis Jersey . The University of Southern Utah senior from Black Creek, B.C., ran 28 minutes 07.14 for the victory. Stephen Sambu of Arizona was second in 28.09.52, while Chris Derrick of Stanford won the bronze in 28.LONDON -- Cristiano Ronaldos second hat trick in four days allowed Real Madrid to take charge of the Champions Leagues toughest group Wednesday, with Arsenal, FC Porto and Malaga joining the Spanish giants in earning second straight wins in the competition. Ronaldos three-goal haul upstaged a spectacular overhead kick by Karim Benzema in Madrids 4-1 win a Ajax, giving Jose Mourinhos team a maximum six points in Group D. Manchester Citys struggles in Europes top club competition continued, though, after being outclassed by Borussia Dortmund in the same group, although the English champions escaped with a 1-1 draw thanks to Mario Balotellis 90th-minute penalty. AC Milan kick-started its campaign by inflicting a rare home loss on Zenit St. Petersburg, with an own goal by Tomas Hubocan sealing a 3-2 win for the seven-time European champions. They are on four points in Group C, two behind Malaga after the Spanish side beat Anderlecht 3-0 to be one of seven teams to be perfect after two group games. Arsenal beat Olympiakos 3-1 and Porto overcame Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 to also maintain 100 per cent records. Ronaldos first hat trick in the Champions League came after he also scored three against Deportivo La Coruna in the Spanish league on Sunday, and took his tally to 12 goals in 10 games in all competitions this season. With 42 goals, he is the eighth player to score more than 40 goals in the competition. While Ronaldos low curler from the edge of the area and an impudent chip were impressive goals to seal his hat trick, they couldnt compete with the stunning acrobatic effort from Benzema, from Ronaldos right-wing cross. "We played a very good match," said Mourinho, who is bidding to become the first coach to win the Champions League with three different teams. "Benzema, Kaka and Ronaldo all played well. Now we have six points in a very difficult group.&quuot; Madrid already look safe bets to go through to the knockout stage and on current evidence, Dortmund looks the most likely to join them. Evan Royster Jersey. The German champions outplayed City away with an effervescent attacking display but came up against a goalkeeper in Joe Hart who may have played the best game of his career. Hart denied Dortmund with a string of fine saves until Marco Reus finally put the visitors ahead in the 61st. However, Balotellis penalty rescued a point for City. "We kept ourselves alive in the group," Hart said, whose team is already five points behind Madrid. Dortmund has four points. With his team struggling in the Italian league, Milan coach Massimiliano Allegris job was under threat heading into the match at Zenit, which was the second-highest spender in the summer transfer window and was defending a 16-match home unbeaten streak in Europe. After taking a two goal lead through Urby Emanuelson and Stephan El Shaarawy, Milan was pegged back by Zenit but came away with three points when Hubocan knocked the ball into his own net. "This is an important victory. It is not easy to win against Zenit on their ground," Allegri said. The highlight of Malagas easy win over Anderlecht was a stunning left-foot volley by Eliseu, one of two goals scored by the Portugal international. All four of Spains teams won on matchday two. PSG was brought back down to earth after its opening 4-1 win over Dynamo Kyiv, falling to a late goal by James Rodriguez at Porto in Group A. Kyiv is level on three points with PSG after beating Dinamo Zagreb 2-0. In Group B, goals by Gervinho, Lukas Podolski and Aaron Ramsey guided Arsenal to victory at Emirates Stadium, putting the English team on course for a 13th straight qualification to the knockout stage. Schalke is second in the group on four points after drawing 2-2 at Montpellier. ' ' '