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Bam Adebayo (13) of the Miami Heat and Daniel Theis (27) of the Boston Celtics battle for the ball during the second half of the NBA conference final, Friday, Sept. 25, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Florida (Photo AP / Mark J. Terrill) lyrics AZLyrics.com
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Florida— Bam Adebayo hasn’t wanted much credit for anything this season, always giving in to others in the Miami Heat locker room when things are going well. Things didn’t go well on Friday night.
And Adebayo wanted – demanded, really – all the blame.
His stat line (13 points, eight rebounds, eight assists on 5 of 11 shots) certainly didn’t look as abysmal as Adebayo made his effort sound after Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals, when Miami fell apart in the third quarter. and saw their series lead cut to 3-2 after a 121-108 loss to the Boston Celtics. But he didn’t like much of his night and returned to the hotel after the game promising that he would find a way to be better in Game 6 on Sunday.
“I put that game on,” Adebayo said. “It is not the fault of my teammates, it is not the fault of my coaches. It’s me. I missed too many shots that I should have made. Put that one on me. “
No matter what the topic was within the handful of questions he took after the game, he usually found a way to turn the finger of blame on himself.
On Miami giving up 41 points in the third quarter: “He wasn’t being the defensive anchor he should have been. I don’t think I was communicating fast enough. I felt like I was a step behind today. “
On not adjusting when Boston would change lineups: “I didn’t get some quick enough shots and that’s up to me.”
On what needs to change before Game 6 on Sunday: “I have to be better. … This game is mine. I played terrible and that can’t happen. And I know, and I feel like I disappointed my teammates. “
He wasn’t yelling or yelling, just giving the answers in his usual conversational tone. But it was still an unusual approach for Adebayo, the third-year center who became an All-Star for the first time this season, won the skills competition on All-Star weekend, almost won the Most Player award. Enhanced the NBA and made the team fully defensive.
Heat forward Jimmy Butler said he appreciated Adebayo trying to take the blame, but simply refused to put it all on his shoulders.
“It’s in everyone,” Butler said. “He does so much for us that it can feel like this sometimes, but it definitely doesn’t depend on him. It is up to us as a whole. We all get it because no one was playing the way we are supposed to play; the way we have to play to win, nobody. And for him to say that, I respect him. I love him for that. But you cannot do it alone. We have to be there with him. “
Adebayo has racked up more minutes in the postseason than anyone else in the Heat, ranking third behind Goran Dragic (21.4) and Butler (20.6) in scoring at 17.5 per game, and has grabbed nearly as many rebounds as any other two Miami players combined. Adebayo has 157 rebounds; Butler and Jae Crowder, Miami’s second and third rebounders in the playoffs, have teamed up for 164.
He said his Saturday would include a lot of movie and then some time on the court, all in the hopes of finding the answer he’s looking for before Game 6, and a second chance at clinching a spot in the NBA Finals.
“The Eastern Conference finals, it’s not easy to let it go,” Adebayo said. “But I have 24 hours to get over it. Then it’s time to go. “
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