CHRIS BOSH'S SEASON AND CAREER IN JEOPARDY AFTER DOCTORS DISCOVER BLOOD CLOTS IN HIS LUNGS

CHRIS BOSH

In 24 hours, it has gone from Dragic to tragic for the Heat.

One day after their coup of landing crafty point guard Goran Dragic, Pat Riley’s franchise was in mourning over the prospect of Chris Bosh’s season — and perhaps career — ending.

Less than a week ago, Bosh was gracing the Garden as an Eastern Conference All-Star and teammate of Carmelo Anthony’s.

But now Bosh is laid up in the hospital after suffering what is suspected to be a pulmonary embolism — a condition in which an arterty in the lungs becomes clogged when a blood clot breaks off and travels to the lungs. It can be a life-threatening issue if not treated quickly by blood thinners.

According to multiple sources in the medical community, there is a debate on whether it is safe to play contact sports on blood thinners because of the fear of uncontrollable internal — and external — bleeding.

Dealing with the aftermath of blood clots is a tricky business and there’s another scenario in which Bosh could be on lifetime blood thinners if blood tests reveal he has an auto-immune disease related to his being prone to blood clots.

The gravity of the situation was evident when Knicks coach Derek Fisher began his pregame press conference before facing the Heat at the Garden by paying tribute to the power forward.

“First I want to send my thoughts and prayers to Chris Bosh and his family that he is OK and will be OK,” Fisher said. “It’s tough for anybody in our business to get that news.’’

The Heat would not yet confirm Bosh’s exact condition other than to say he’s undergoing tests in a hospital. A CAT scan, however, is a very quick, decisive method of finding blood in the lungs.

“I’ve been in contact with him,’’ Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “He’s in great care. Everything is premature. We’re still collecting as much information as we can. It’s too premature. As soon as we collect all data, we’ll come up with some announcement.’’

The only hope to play this season is if the pulmonary embolism is considered minor and Bosh would only need blood thinners for three months. However, it’s standard to prescribe blood thinners for one year after a pulmonary embolism.
Bosh awaits a battery of tests on his blood and heart, including a stress test, before anyone can safely say he can play in the NBA, according to medical experts.

“He’s in a good spirits,’’ Spoelstra said. “CB always is. Right now we’re just living in a day-to-day world, like we have all season. We’ve developed character from going through these adversities.’’

The Bosh bombshell took the luster from the Heat’s trade for Dragic at the deadline in a move some thought easily would get them into the playoffs and perhaps make them a threat with Bosh having a terrific season.