Chris Bosh says Goran Dragic injury changed Miami’s 2020 Finals series against Lakers

Chris Bosh he said Goran DragicInjury during the 2020 NBA Finals significantly influenced the The Miami Heat series against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Speaking on the latest episode of the All the Smoke podcast with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, the Hall of Famer reflected on Dragić suffered a tear in the sole of his foot in the first game of the final inside the NBA Orlando bubble.

“The hardest thing was watching the Heat deal with injuries. Seeing my man Goran Dragic finally arrive and not being able to play. That broke my heart, man. Not to say they won, but it would definitely be a different series if he played. Just to be able to play in the finals, I don’t care where they play – if it’s not the finals, it’s a dream come true. For him, it’s a dream come true. In that regard, they still went out on the field and fought.

Bosch continued:

“I know a lot of people wrote them off and really didn’t pay much attention to them, but you know, when you get there, you don’t get there just to lose. You don’t get there to say, ‘ah, good season.’ I knew for sure that they would prepare, that they would fight to the last man and that you would have to beat those guys. And it happened, but pain is pain. I know they can overcome it and it will make them a better team and for the Lakers, back to back. Let’s see if they can keep going.”

Dragić entered the finals as Miami second shooter in the 2020 postseason behind Jimmy Butler III. In 17 playoff games, he averaged 19.1 points, 4.4 assists, 4.1 rebounds and one steal while shooting 44% from the field and 34.6% from 3-point range in 32.5 minutes per game.

Chris Bosh believes it would have been the second series if Goran Dragic hadn’t been injured in the 2020 NBA Finals.

“The hardest part was watching the Heat deal with injuries. Seeing my man Goran Dragic finally arrive and not be able to play. That broke my heart, man. No… https://t.co/5UKntMUerb pic.twitter.com/1bOzN5UVJc

— Heat Central (@HeatCulture13) February 13, 2026

Chris Bosh says Goran Dragic’s injury changed the fate of the Heat’s finals against the Lakers

The injury limited Dragic to just two short appearances at the end of the series. Miami ended up falling to the Lakers in six games as James secured his fourth NBA Championship and fourth Finals MVP.

Despite the setback, the Heat remained competitive throughout the series, highlighted by Butler’s 40-point triple-double in Game 3 and a 35-point performance in Game 5 that forced a sixth game.

Miami later returned to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2022, losing in seven games to the Boston Celtics. The franchise made another one Appeared in the 2023 Finals, but fell to the Denver Nuggets in five games. Dragic was traded to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Kyle Lowry while the Heat reshaped their roster around Butler, Tyler Hero and Bam Adebayo.

With the Butler-led era now over, Miami enters All-Star weekend at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles with a 29-27 record, sitting in eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings. The Heat have advanced to the playoffs in each of the past three seasons and remain in contention for another postseason berth this spring.

Bosh’s comments provided perspective on how injuries, particularly Dragic’s, shaped Miami’s chances against James and the Lakers during a unique bubble Finals.