Chris Bosh eager to bounce back and deliver in NBA Finals

Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh took questions from the media after today's shootaround in anticipation of tonight's Game 1 of the 2013 NBA Finals. Here are his unedited answers.

To say that Bosh has struggled mightily in this postseason, particularly during the Indiana Pacers series, would be one thing but don't tell him this playoff run hasn't been successful because of his recent stumbles...

"Well I think we've been successful, we're in the Finals and we won that series," he clarified. "I've been successful because the team has been successful. I said it when I came (here) that I wasn't paying attention to numbers. The only numbers I care about are wins and I've stayed true to that. Some nights I'm going to be able to have a big offensive output and some days it's more of a defensive effort. But as long as we win the basketball game, that's what is important to me. My job changes from night to night and I'm okay with that. I know that coming in so if I don't have a big offensive game and we still win then I still like I've done a pretty good job."

On how the short turnaround between series helps the Heat....

"It's kind of a good thing for us because we want to really keep the wheels rolling and keep our momentum going with the whole crowd. It's really exciting to be back here. It takes a very long time to get here and this is for everything. So we're excited and we want to start off the series with a bang and really protect our home court."

On the challenge of facing a Spurs team that has never lost in four Finals appearances...

"It's a huge challenge but this is a different team. It was a while ago, we're a different team and they're a different team. It says a lot to their success but even if they hadn't won all those it would still be a challenge because they're a very good team. It's two of the best teams in the league and whoever wins, they're going to have to play their best basketball and it's going to be the hardest thing they've ever done."

On defending Tony Parker and the Spurs pick-and-roll...

"He's an All-Star, an MVP candidate, and sometimes he's going to be successful on those pick-and-rolls. You just want to limit the times he's successful and keep him from trying to get into that paint as much as possible. It's always easier said than done but that's where managing your emotions comes into play because sometimes he's going to split you or he's going to sweep you or he's going to hit a jump shot right in your face. That's just a part of the game, it's going to happen. You can't let that deter you from what you're supposed to do. We're going to have to help our guards as bigs a lot because they're going to have their hands full tonight but it's nothing we haven't seen all year. We really take pride in our pick-and-roll coverage, it's one of the first things we learn when we get here, and it will be tested this series."

On the differences between last year's Finals and this one...

"I'm healthier now so that's cool. We have home court advantage. We have a little more experience and I think there's a comfort level knowing that it's going to be extremely challenging and uncomfortable later."