Tag: bam adebayo

Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo speak on tomorrow’s NBA Finals Game 5

A pair of Miami Heat stars said all the right things going into tomorrow’s NBA Finals Game 5. Here’s the Miami Herald on it:

History is not on the Miami Heat’s side, but players and coaches remain confident.

Trailing the Los Angeles Lakers 3-1 in the NBA Finals, the Heat faces an elimination game for the first time this postseason in Game 5 on Friday (9 p.m., ABC).

“We all believe that we can get this thing done,” Heat All-Star wing Jimmy Butler said Thursday, with a two-day pause between Tuesday’s Game 4 and Friday’s Game 5. “Ain’t nobody going home yet. We’re still here.”

Heat All-Star center Bam Adebayo said: “We’ve got a chance. We still believe. They’re writing us off. Everybody is doubting us. But as long as the people in the locker room and all of our coaching staff have belief in us, that’s all that matters.”

Of course, it’s no surprise that players are speaking positively about their situation in a playoff series. But it’s always interesting to see exactly what players have to say about it. This Heat squad has proven its ability to compete with any team in the league. They do have to take it game-by-game.

As of today, it still sounds like Heat guard Goran Dragic won’t play in Game 5, but of course we’ll monitor that tomorrow.

Lakers beat Heat 102-96, take 3-1 lead in NBA Finals

LA Times: “In Game 4 of the NBA Finals, the Lakers found a way. They had just enough to come out ahead 102-96 and take a 3-1 series lead over the Heat in the best-of-seven series and are now one win away from securing the franchise’s 17th championship. James led the Lakers, scoring 28 points, eight assists and 12 rebounds, while Davis scored 22 points, with four assists and nine rebounds, distinguishing himself with his stifling defense on Miami star Jimmy Butler. James and Davis each made eight of 16 shots attempted. The importance of this game wasn’t lost on the Lakers. They were on edge after their Game 3 loss Sunday, unhappy with how that game unfolded. Just in case, James wanted them to know just how important it was to him.”

Miami Herald: “Lakers All-Star forward LeBron James seemed to control the second half of Game 4, with 20 points on 5-of-8 shooting, nine rebounds and four assists during the final two quarters. He scored only eight points on 3-of-8 shooting in the first half. James finished Los Angeles’ victory with 28 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists and six turnovers. Five of his six turnovers came in the first half. The Lakers’ second star was also very good in Game 4. Big man Anthony Davis recorded 22 points, nine rebounds, four assists and four blocks in the win. Davis and James combined for 34 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and three blocks in the second half.”

Miami Herald: Heat All-Star wing Jimmy Butler followed up his historic 40-point Game 3 triple-double performance by almost picking up another triple-double. He finished Tuesday’s loss with 22 points on 8-of-17 shooting, 10 rebounds, nine assists and three steals, as the Lakers used Davis and James to defend Butler for most of the game.

Miami Herald: “Adebayo was relatively effective in his return Tuesday, finishing with 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting, seven rebounds and one assist in 33 minutes. On the defensive end, Adebayo took on the challenge of guarding Davis during stretches. But Adebayo was quiet in the fourth quarter, with two points on one shot, one rebound and zero assists in the period.”

Miami Herald: “This is the Heat team that steamrolled Indiana in the first round of the playoffs and then eliminated Giannis Antetokounmpo and No. 1 seed Milwaukee in the second. The Lakers with LeBron and A.D. were supposed to dominate fifth-seeded Miami, which didn’t even make the playoffs the year before. And that was before starters and key players Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic were lost to injuries in the series. Dragic remains out with a foot injury, tearfully, as he described it Tuesday. Adebayo played well in his return, though surely not 100 percent.”

OC Register: KCP, as he’s known to Laker Nation’s resident fans and critics, finished with 15 points on 6-for-12 shooting. That offensive production included a couple of big buckets late that helped L.A. wrestle a hard-fought victory away from the Miami Heat in the bubble at Lake Buena Vista, Florida. With the Lakers leading only 90-88 and about 3 minutes left, Caldwell-Pope sprinted to the corner in transition, ready and awaiting LeBron James’ pass, which he caught, shot and converted for one of his three corner 3-pointers of the night. “That’s really one of my specialties,” Caldwell-Pope said. “I’m always running from end to end, corner to corner.” Moments later, Caldwell-Pope let the Lakers breathe yet easier when he got Duncan Robinson to bite on a fake at the top of the key, blew past the Heat guard and flew all the way to the rim for a soaring and sensationally timed layup off the backboard that made it 95-88 with 2:02 to go.

OC Register: With two minutes left in the fourth game of the NBA Finals, Caldwell-Pope found himself with the ball and Miami’s Duncan Robinson guarding him. That invited Caldwell-Pope to burst to the bucket and put the Lakers up by seven, and then Davis and Rajon Rondo expanded that cushion. The Lakers now lead, 3-1, with this 102-96 win. Like the steamfitters and stampers and fabricators that they resembled, they took a shower after they worked. “We don’t really have a third scorer,” Kyle Kuzma said, after he and the rest of the Laker bench outscored Miami’s reserves 27-14 and had 14 rebounds. “Our scorers are AD and LeBron, and then the rest of us play team basketball. Any of us can step up at any time.”

Status of Bam Adebayo upgraded to questionable for NBA Finals Game 4

There’s a hint of good news coming in the form of an injury report today. Here’s the Miami Herald on it:

The chances of Bam Adebayo returning for Game 4 of these NBA Finals rose on Monday afternoon when the Miami Heat upgraded his status from doubtful to questionable. But Heat guard Goran Dragic said he’s unlikely to play in Game 4 against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday – he’s listed as doubtful – and that there’s no timetable for his return.

Adebayo (neck strain) and Dragic (torn plantar fascia in left foot) did not play for the second consecutive game Sunday after exiting Game 1 against the Los Angeles Lakers because of their injuries.

Adebayo said he hasn’t been told by team doctors and coaches if he will be permitted to play in Game 4 on Tuesday (9 p.m., ABC). But hours later, the Heat upgraded him to questionable.

We’re calling it a hint of good news, because there’s no way to know exactly how close Adebayo is to being 100 percent. Hopefully for the Heat he’s ready to go. His exact status may not be known until just before game-time.

Heat center Bam Adebayo hopes to play soon

The Heat need health, and quickly. Sure, they won NBA Finals Game 3 vs. the Lakers last night, but they still face a seriously uphill battle right now. Getting Bam Adebayo back for Game 4 would be a really nice boost. Here’s the Sun Sentinel with the latest on their two main injured players:

Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo said Monday he is hopeful for a return to the NBA Finals as soon as Tuesday night’s Game 4, with teammate Goran Dragic with a far less optimistic outlook.

The two have missed the past two games of the best-of-seven series against the Los Angeles Lakers, after being injured in Wednesday’s Game 1 loss. The Heat then also lost Friday’s Game 2, before rallying behind Jimmy Butler’s 40-point triple-double to win Sunday’s Game 3.

Adebayo has been out with a neck strain, Dragic with a torn plantar fascia in his left foot.

The Heat can’t expect Jimmy Butler to put up monster games like yesterday’s 40-point triple-double. They need Adebayo back, and soon.

Adebayo’s status for Game 4 might not be known until tomorrow afternoon, or even just before it begins.

Lakers take 2-0 NBA Finals lead on Heat

LA Times: “No one expected the Miami Heat to quit, heavy underdogs that they were. They came into the playoffs as the fifth seed, shocked the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks, outlasted the Boston Celtics and forced their way into an NBA Finals they beat long odds to make. So even though Miami lost two starters to injury in Game 1, the Lakers expected a fight. Game 2 was that, but the Lakers prevailed, beating the Heat 124-114. LeBron James finished with 33 points and Anthony Davis scored 32. Jimmy Butler led the Heat with 25, while Kelly Olynyk scored 24 off the bench.”

OC Register: “The Lakers threw the usual gallon of Anthony Davis all over the Heat and put out that fire, but Rondo and Howard have been far more influential than any 20-something fan could have suspected. Howard scored six points in the first eight possessions for the Lakers, swatted away a drive by Jimmy Butler, and generally laid down orange cones all around the lane. Rondo took control of the second quarter when the Lakers were getting a little 3-point-happy against the Heat’s zone. He fed Davis for a bucket, scored from the middle of the lane, fed LeBron James, threw a sublime outlet to Davis on the run for another hoop, and then got four more points to put the Lakers up 16.”

OC Register: “James also finished with nine assists and nine rebounds, while Davis notched 14 rebounds. But even the superstars, who James noted Thursday “aren’t jealous of each other,” had at least one spat during one stretch as the Heat piled up 39 points in the third quarter to resuscitate their chances in what looked like a blowout. Davis smiled sheepishly: “Did y’all see something?” But the Lakers tinkered with their defense and got stops on a team playing without Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic, two of their three leading scorers. While Jimmy Butler put in a strong effort with 25 points and 13 assists, Miami was just 7 for 15 in the fourth quarter. The Lakers did not turn the ball over once.”

OC Register: “With a wing-heavy lineup and Davis in the middle, the Lakers managed to get enough buckets to cinch the win, with a dagger coming by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope hitting just his second 3-pointer of the night on 11 attempts. The Lakers shot just 34 percent from deep, a key element to softening the zone. But the simple fact remains: James and Davis are too much talent for the Heat to handle. And by the end, Davis said, his tiff with James was forgotten.”

LA Times: “Rondo joined bench mates Alex Caruso, Markieff Morris and Kyle Kuzma to combine for 39 points, 13 rebounds and 15 assists. They all played their roles the right way and that went a long way in helping the Lakers take a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals, leaving them two wins from winning the franchise’s 17th championship. Rondo led the way for the reserves, scoring 16 points on five-for-nine shooting, three-for-four on three-pointers, adding 10 assists and four rebounds. Morris had six points and five rebounds, Kuzma 11 points and two rebounds, and Caruso had six points, two rebounds and two assists.”

Sun Sentinel: “With Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic sidelined, the Heat lacked sufficient staying power Friday night against Anthony Davis and LeBron James, falling to 0-2 in the championship series with a 124-114 loss at Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex. With Davis closing with 32 points on 15-of-20 shooting and 14 rebounds, and with James going for 33 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, there was no stopping a Lakers team that could close out this series as soon as Tuesday’s Game 4.”

Sun Sentinel: “No matter the injury list, the roster, the playing rotation, it has become clear the Heat do not have an answer for Davis. So after scoring 34 in Game 1, Davis picked up where he left off, becoming just the third player over the past 30 years to score 30 or more in each of their first two career Finals games, joining Michael Jordan and Kevin Durant. Davis and James became the first Lakers teammates to each score 30 or more in a Finals game since Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant in 2002.”

Lakers win big in NBA Finals Game 1, beat Heat 116-98

OC Register: “Your team just got walloped in the opening game of the NBA Finals, with injuries to three of your stars added to the insult — what can you say? “Right now, it doesn’t really matter what you say,” Miami Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra said after his team dropped Game 1, 116-98, a margin that doesn’t reflect how lopsided it was. “We get to work and get together tomorrow.” The most pressing problem for the Heat has to do with personnel. Big man Bam Adebayo played only 21 minutes before he left the game with a left shoulder strain and Jimmy Butler was hobbled much of the time with a sprained left ankle.”

OC Register: “Most concerning: Standout guard Goran Dragic reportedly suffered a torn plantar fascia in his left foot, likely when he’d dribbled into the lane looking to score.”

OC Register: “Kendrick Nunn was the lone bright spot on a dim night for Miami. The Rookie of the Year runner-up, whose playing time has been limited in the bubble after recovering from having the coronavirus and subsequently leaving the NBA campus for a personal reason unrelated to the disease.
But in Dragic’s stead, he looked more comfortable than the Lakers would have liked, finishing with 18 points in 19 minutes on 8-of-11 shooting.”

South Florida Sun Sentinel: “Miami Heat guard Goran Dragic received a preliminary diagnosis of a torn plantar fascia in his left foot after leaving in the second quarter of Wednesday night’s 116-98 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals… While cortisone injections could make it possible to return to the series, which continues with Friday’s 9 p.m. Game 2, Dragic is an impending free agent, which could factor into the approach.”

LA Times: “The Lakers are too big: They outrebounded the Heat by 18. The Lakers are too unselfish:They passed their way into so many open three-pointers that they made 11 of 17 at one point. The Lakers are too deep: They came back from that early deficit with LeBron James on the bench. And the Lakers are too, too much Anthony Davis, and who wants to bet he becomes the Finals MVP in his first try? Davis had 34 points, nine rebounds and made all 10 of his free throws. He scored 11 points in the first quarter when the Lakers most needed him and never slowed.”

OC Register: “It wasn’t just Anthony Davis, because he routinely picks on people his own size. It was LeBron James finding himself guarded by Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson (0-for-3), who must have felt like lion tamers carrying hamburger meat. Kyle Kuzma (6-foot-8) had free passage throughout the court, and when Miami tried to gang up on James and Davis, the Lakers just pushed the 3-point button and activated Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Danny Green. Lakers coach Frank Vogel went with his usual two-big lineup, with Dwight Howard starting alongside Davis, because he knew Miami would run out of footage before it went to the bench. At that point either Davis or Markieff Morris (6-foot-8) would be able to handle the center spot.”

Miami Herald: “The Lakers’ All-Star duo of LeBron James and Davis combined for 59 points, 22 rebounds and 14 assists. James finished with 25 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists. The Heat’s All-Star duo of Butler and Adebayo combined for 31 points, six rebounds and five assists. Butler was Miami’s best player Wednesday, finishing with 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field and 2-of-4 shooting on threes, two rebounds and five assists.”

Miami Herald: “The Heat shot just 11 of 35 (31.4 percent) from three-point range in Game 1. Crowder (4 of 7 on threes) and Butler (2 of 4 on threes) combined to shot 6 of 11 from behind the arc. Heat sharpshooter Duncan Robinson finished 0 of 3 from deep and rookie Tyler Herro was 2 of 8 on threes.”

LA Times: “With 1:23 left in the game, the Lakers had a 17-point lead and substituted in Jared Dudley, Quinn Cook and JR Smith. James sat on the bench covered in towels, then got up to shake hands with each of his teammates as the clock expired. “We always guard against [complacency], but in particular because of how much respect we have for this basketball team,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. “We have great respect for those guys. We know that this is just one win. We’re happy that we got one win, but obviously we have to keep our foot on the gas.”

Bam Adebayo has stepped up big for Miami Heat in 2020 NBA playoffs

The Heat have reached the NBA Finals. A huge reason why has been the play of Bam Adebayo. Here’s the Miami Herald on his play and more:

The fifth-seeded Heat has posted a 12-3 record in the playoffs to exceed all outside expectations and earn a spot in the NBA Finals for the sixth time in franchise history and the first time since 2014. Game 1 of the Finals series between Miami and the Los Angeles Lakers is Wednesday at 9 p.m. on ABC.

At 23 years old in his first postseason as a starting big man, Adebayo has been one of the catalysts behind the Heat’s improbable run. It marks the first time a team seeded fifth or lower has made it to the NBA Finals since 1999, when the eighth-seeded New York Knicks represented the East in the championship series during a lockout-shortened season…

Adebayo set a career-high with 32 points, to go with 14 rebounds and five assists in Sunday’s Game 6 East-clinching win over the Boston Celtics. He became the fourth different player in Heat history to record at least 30 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a playoff game, joining a list that also includes LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal and Dwyane Wade.

Adebayo averaged 21.8 points on 60.8 percent shooting, 11 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.7 steals and one block in the East finals. He led the Heat in points, rebounds, assists and steals in the series.

Leading scorers for the Heat in these playoffs have been Goran Dragic at 20.9 points per game, Jimmy Butler at 20.7 PPG, Adebayo at 18.5 PPG, Tyler Herro at 16.5 PPG off the bench, and Jae Crowder at 12.3 PPG.

Game 1 of the NBA Finals is Wednesday night, televised on ABC.

Heat eliminate Celtics in Eastern Conference Finals, advance to NBA Finals

Sunday night at the Disney NBA bubble in Florida, the Miami Heat beat the Boston Celtics 125-113, winning the Eastern Conference Finals in six games. The Heat advance to the NBA Finals, where they’ll face the Los Angeles Lakers. Game 1 of the Finals is Wednesday night on ABC TV.

Boston.com: The Celtics had a six-point lead in the fourth quarter, but Miami didn’t flinch. The Heat went on a 19-6 run to take a seven-point lead with just over four minutes remaining. They moved the ball with confidence and went back to their zone to reinvigorate themselves on the defensive end. Bam Adebayo led the way for Miami’s offense as it extended its lead to 12-points with three minutes left.

Boston.com:The Heat continued to ride that momentum, while Boston struggled to handle its opponent’s relentless energy. This series really came down to crunch-time execution, and that was the case again Sunday night. The Heat outscored the Celtics 35-17 over the final nine minutes of Game 6, leaving their final mark on the Eastern Conference Finals with authority.

Boston.com:The Celtics played great defense early in the fourth quarter, effectively slowing down the Heat, but their inability to close out games reared its head late. Miami exerted its dominance down the stretch as it did in all four of its Eastern Conference Finals wins, a fitting way to seal the deal in Game 6.

Boston Herald: “Though four Celtics scored at least 20 points, led by Jaylen Brown’s 26, they were unable to get the requisite stops. That especially was true where Adebayo and his rolls to the rim were concerned. The Celtics also missed a plethora of open shots down the stretch, with players like Gordon Hayward (5-for-12) and Kemba Walker (5-for-15) missing open layups. With the Celtics caught between his interior attack and the omnipresent threat of Miami’s shooters, the Heat put this one away with a 26-6 run in the fourth quarter that effectively squelched the Celtics’ season.

South Florida Sun Sentinel: “Sunday’s victory was powered by 32 points and 14 rebounds from Adebayo, as well as 22 points from Butler, 19 from Tyler Herro, 15 from Iguodala, 15 from Duncan Robinson and 13 from Goran Dragic. For the Celtics, there were 26 points from Jaylen Brown, 24 from Jayson Tatum, 20 from Marcus Smart and 20 from Kemba Walker.”

South Florida Sun Sentinel: “After going down six earlier in the fourth quarter, the Heat got a three-point play from Adebayo with 6:16 to play to go up 101-100. The counterpunching continued from there, with Celtics center Daniel Theis fouling out with 5:30 to play and the Heat then calling time out while up 104-102. A minute later, a Duncan Robinson 3-pointer put the Heat up 107-102. The Heat eventually made it a 26-6 run, for a 14-point lead. At one point, the Celtics went 3 1/2 minutes without a point. By then, it was time for the white flag from the Celtics.”

Celtics beat Heat in Eastern Conference Finals Game 5, 121-108

Miami Herald: “The Heat led the Boston Celtics by 12 points in the second quarter and never trailed in the first half of Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals. Miami, just one win away from the 2020 NBA Finals, was just two quarters away from completing its stunning run to the NBA’s championship series. In the third quarter, it all unraveled. A seven-point halftime lead swung into a 14-point deficit for the Heat and the Celtics, who blew double-digit leads in the first two games of the NBA Conference Finals, rallied to stave off elimination with a 121-108 win in Lake Buena Vista. Miami, which still leads the series 3-2, will have to wait until at least Sunday at Walt Disney World’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex to clinch a spot its first NBA Finals since 2014.”

Boston.com: “Boston opened the game 1-for-12 from the floor, with eight of those attempts coming from deep. That five-plus-minute span also included three turnovers to highlight their discombobulated opening stint. No rhythm and a lack of effort rose to the surface, just as it had in their previous three losses. The Celtics’ struggle to win the battle in the paint stuck out in the first quarter as well, getting outscored 12-2 in that category over the game’s first 12 minutes. With the season on the line, Boston shot 25 percent in the first quarter. They were lucky to be down just seven at the half, but the Celtics didn’t give in and quickly turned things around after the break.”

LA Times: “We’re prideful. We want to do well. … Our deal was to come out and play, come out and compete and give it our best shot, and I thought we played pretty well in the second half, but we’re going to have do it again and again because of the position we’re in,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. “…We’re trying to be our best. We care about competing. We care about representing our team and our organization well, and we care about each other. It’s why you compete.”

South Florida Sun Sentinel: “Tatum has been all over the place this series. Good. Bad. Dominant. Disappeared. But in that third quarter he scored 17 points and picked up his Celtics as they turned a seven-point halftime deficit into a nine-point lead. Brown has been more in and out than Tatum. But on Friday night with the Celtics season on the line he did everything necessary in scoring 28 points and making all the plays that mattered. “They started attacking, we stopped guarding,” Jimmy Butler said. “Never a good thing for us. After that it was all downhill.” So that was that. The game. The night. The thought the Heat could move as easily into the Finals as they had in dispatching Indiana and Milwaukee earlier in the playoffs. Did anyone really think this series would be like those?”

South Florida Sun Sentinel: “The Heat got 17 points, eight rebounds and eight assists from Butler, 13 points, eight rebounds and eight assists from Bam Adebayo, as well as 23 points from Goran Dragic and 20 from Robinson. “We’ll be ready to go on Sunday,” Butler said. Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 31 points, supported by 28 from Brown… The Heat closed 7 of 36 on 3-pointers, the 19.4 percentage the Heat’s lowest of the postseason. But it also came after shooting 12 of 44 on threes in Game 3 and 10 of 37 from beyond the arc in Game 4. “Regardless of whether it’s going in or not,” Spoelstra said, “that can’t affect your commitment on the other side of the floor, and it felt like it did.” Robinson closed 3 of 11 on 3-pointers, the rest of his teammates 4 of 25.”

Bam Adebayo says he knew Tyler Herro could play like this

The Heat have taken a 3-1 Eastern Conference Finals lead on the Celtics, and yesterday’s scoring star for Miami in their Game 4 win was guard Tyler Herro, who came off the bench to score 37 points. Here’s the Sun Sentinel on what a star teammate had to say:

“First of all,” teammate Bam Adebayo said of the precocious 6-foot-5 guard, “I haven’t been surprised because I knew what the kid could do.”

While Adebayo tends to be soft-spoken, a visit to his college campus a few years back had the former Kentucky center struck by the cocksure 18-year-old kid who already had an NBA scoring repertoire.

“I went to Lexington to go see the coaches, just to see what’s up, get some work in,” Adebayo said in the wake of Herro’s Wednesday tour de force. “We were playing pickup and I was just realizing, going against the man, he doesn’t back down from the moment.”

It was a moment Adebayo wasn’t going to allow to go unnoticed, or unreported.

“I was the one who put the bug in Pat [Riley’s] ear to draft the kid. Just saying,” Adebayo said during his media session at Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex, where these quarantined NBA playoffs are drawing closer to their championship conclusion. “I’m not shocked by the success that Tyler’s having. He comes in the gym every day, great work ethic, great dude, he doesn’t bother anybody, just works.”