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Bosh checks ego at the door in search of a title

Updated: 2011-02-25 13:45

(Agencies)

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 Bosh checks ego at the door in search of a title

Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh (R) drives against Orlando Magic forward Earl Clark during the second half of NBA basketball action in Orlando, Florida in this February 3, 2011 file photo.

TORONTO, Feb 24 - Chris Bosh was once the face of the Toronto Raptors but his hunger for an NBA title led him to the Miami Heat and now the All-Star finds himself struggling to accept a diminished role on the talent-laden team.

Bosh is part of the Heat's "Big Three" along with two-time reigning NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James and seven-time All-Star Dwyane Wade, but he trails both in points, assists and minutes played.

He said joining the Heat as a free agent in the offseason after seven years in Toronto was not easy, especially since he was not sold on the idea of playing anywhere that he would not be the clear-cut franchise player.

So while Bosh misses being the go-to player and admits that accepting a lesser role has been a challenge, his top priority is to win an NBA title.

"I can't let ego get in the way of what I said I wanted to do, what my goals were before I left (Toronto) and that was to win championships, or at least one," Bosh said recently before playing his first game in Toronto since joining Miami.

 Bosh checks ego at the door in search of a title

A fan holds a sign as Miami Heat Chris Bosh returns to play his former team, the Toronto Raptors, in their NBA basketball game in Toronto in this February 16, 2011 file photo.

"I wasn't expecting just to change overnight or over one season. It's a different role and I have to get used to it, I'm still getting used to it.

"I'm feeling it out and making sure I get better for the sake of the team."

Bosh is averaging 18.6 points a game, his lowest since the 2004-05 season, and his 8.1 rebounds are the fewest since his rookie campaign a year earlier.

He is the Raptors' all-time franchise leader in points, rebounds, free throws made, blocks, minutes and games started, so his decision to pack his bags still stings the city.

For his first game in Toronto since joining James and Wade, Bosh was booed by a packed house the moment he took the floor for warmups and even when he was shown on the video screen during the American national anthem.

One of the countless signs fans held up during the game read, "Two and a Half Men" with a picture of James, Wade and Bosh, a sobering reminder that the player who once carried the Raptors is now along for the ride in Miami.

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