In Eastern Conference Finals marred by major absences (Marcus Smart, Kyle Lowry, Al Horford, Rob Williams III, and now, perhaps, Jimmy Butler), a thrilling return to the floor and all the unpredictability that lied between them, the healthy stars somehow displayed their brilliance More important than it might already be.
For Miami, in Game 3, this was Bam Adebayo, the game’s nightmare who, at his best, could control all areas of the basketball game in subtle and clear ways.
After opening the series with a pair of duds, it was clear that The Heat couldn’t progress unless their center began to affect the action with more force. “We want him to be more involved and I have to do a better job,” Heat coach Eric Spositra said on Saturday morning. “And I think we’ll be able to get him to places where he can be assertive and how assertive he has been all season.”
Hours later, Adebayo had what to some extent be described as the most impressive and most important night of his career: 31 points from 22 shots (five more than his previous career high), 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 Thefts and one turn. The Heat beat Boston by 17 points with Adebayo on the ground.
“I saw him play great basketball in the playoffs,” Spoelstra said when asked after the game if he had seen Adebayo play better, given the risks (on the road in the Conference Finals, after a big home loss) and the circumstances (Butler missed the inning). The second was due to a knee injury.
He’s a winning player. And you know, he’s really the heart and soul of our group. You can count on him all the time. He doesn’t get caught up in all the noise and everything. He’s just competing there. Playing winning basketball. Doing it from both ends and doing what is necessary. Tonight we needed to score and we needed that attacking hit early on. Then when Jimmy came out in the second half he stabilized us. I had a little bit of guts and when that happened we were able to get the ball to Pam and get something consistent. “.
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The tune was set two minutes into the first quarter, when he came off the field and hit Horford with an inside and outside cross that ended with a left-footed shot. It didn’t matter who was in front of him, whether it was Horford, Daniel Theis, Grant Williams, Smart, Jalen Brown, or anyone else who found himself obliged to stop his aggression.
Adebayo’s strength was reminiscent of the last time Miami reached the conference finals. In 2020 against the Celtics’ smaller and less resistance roster, he averaged 21.8 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 5.2 assists, including the 6 game of 32 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 assists that kicked the Celtics out of the bubble.
Offensively, before match 3 of This is amazing In the conference finals, Adebayo hadn’t quite captured a playoff streak by his nape in the same way. This surprise production run set a standard for Adebayo, which, fair or not, allowed some criticism to soften the less exciting games over the last two seasons in Miami. When you need heat who – which Pam did it to probably save their season.
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Throughout the night, Adebayo was the best version of his almost unparalleled personality. His jumper was automatic early on. His fluctuations to the edge and activity on the offensive glass short-circuited Boston’s everything-switching scheme. He attacked, setting dozens of screens, wreaking havoc on defense, and with 1:21 seconds left, he brilliantly placed a cherry on top by rigging Horford in the air, then installed a 17-foot jump as the shot clock ended.
“I’ve seen Pam play like this a lot,” said Heat goalkeeper Max Strauss. “But tonight was special.”
Adebayo finished 13 for 15 in the paint and 6 for 6 in the restricted area. It’s only one game in a back-and-forth attrition battle, but this version of Adebayo burns whatever roof was previously in Miami, and if it continues, it completely changes the accounts of this particular series.
The phrase “firmer” was used to describe Pam’s game by every Hit member who spoke out after it ended. This work did not exist in isolation earlier in the series. “Same old fashioned gameplay,” Pam said about the difference between Matches 1, 2 and 3. “Just a different mindset.”
Slowing down Adebayo’s performance when those shots fall while also watching him impose dangerous evasive delivery actions from the elbows is daunting. But the Celtics put in their power in two games already. They survived the physical assaults of Giannis Antetokounmpo and flirted with sinister shooters like Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Weakening them in two consecutive games is not easy.
“Adebayo put his shoulder towards whoever was guarding him, in his chest, so rob [Williams] “The situation cannot be salvaged as much as this,” Celtics coach Im Odoka said. “Men should take ownership of this rivalry and defend as we can.”
Each game is its own story in a chapter series. Adebayo has written a book on Saturday Night, and how the Celtics’ response will go a long way toward determining who will prevail.
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