Bam Adebayo has his moment as he leads the Miami Heat to an NBA Finals berth
After the Miami Heat squandered a golden opportunity to close out the Boston Celtics in Game 5, Bam Adebayo immediately took the blame for the loss. It’s what a leader often does, even when it isn’t warranted.
Bam said he had to be better and he had let down his team in Game 5. That feeling of a letdown (though, I find it hard to believe that the team actually felt that with the way he’s played thus far in the NBA playoffs) was quickly washed away with an epic performance in Game 6 that will live forever in team history.
Bam finished with 32 points, 14 rebounds, and five assists en route to closing out the Celtics in Game 6, sending the Heat to their first NBA Finals appearance since 2014. Bam took control of the game late, enabling the Heat to take advantage of a wounded, fatigued Celtics team.
Not only did the Heat finally breakthrough (after two close out games against the Celtics), but Bam had his signature playoff moment. There was no way around it this time – Bam was the primary reason why the Heat was advancing again. Over the course of the Eastern Conference Finals, Bam was the biggest difference-maker and the best player on the floor on most nights.
On the series, Bam averaged 22 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists on 60 percent shooting from the field. He also was the heart and soul of Miami’s defense and was the key cog to their impactful zone defense that trifled the Celtics in crucial moments throughout the series.
If you remember closely, this series started with an emphatic exclamation point from Bam in Game 1 in which he literally stole a potential game-tying attempt from Jayson Tatum at the rim.
From that moment on, it seems as if Bam erupted onto the national scene and he never let up at any point in this series. He closed the Eastern Conference Finals with arguably his best performance in a Miami Heat uniform yet.
Sure, the Heat would not have been in the Eastern Conference Finals in the first place without the likes of Jimmy Butler, Goran Dragic, Tyler Herro, Jae Crowder, Duncan Robinson, and Andre Iguodala but, make no mistake, the Heat will go as far as Bam Adebayo can take them.
We saw that in Game 5 and then in Game 6.
Bam Adebayo had his marquee moment of the NBA playoffs thus far. The Miami Heat are now in the NBA Finals set to face-off against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. Miami will be overlooked and doubted again.
But this is exactly where the Heat, Bam, and Jimmy love to operate. This is their DNA. Bam Adebayo is a superstar. And the Miami Heat are a real threat to win the NBA Championship. Between the narratives and star power (both young and old), this is shaping up to be an NBA Finals for the history books.