Kristaps Porzingis Says Heat-Celtics Series Is More Than His Matchup With Bam Adebayo

Porzingis commented on the matchup between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics rather than his individual matchup with Adebayo

Apr 21, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) shoots the ball over / Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Kristaps Porzingis recently gave his thoughts after Game 1 about matching up against Bam Adebayo.

The Boston Celtics defeated the Miami Heat 114-94 on Sunday in the first game of the NBA Playoffs. Porzingis played a large role in the Celtics win, scoring 18 points in 34 minutes.

“I don’t care about him,” Porzingis said about Adebayo. “I care about our team and what we’re trying to achieve. This is not one-on-one, me against Bam. This is Celtics vs Heat.”

Adebayo was the primary defender against Porzingis Sunday and during the regular season. Porzingis averaged 20.3 points over three games against the Heat this season with Adebayo playing in all three games.

Most of Porzingis’ damage in Game 1 came from three-point range. He showed his ability to space the floor by making four triples.

“I don’t care about him. I care about our team and what we’re trying to achieve. This is not one on one, me against Bam. This is Celtics vs Heat.” pic.twitter.com/UjCcl6MYS5

— Boston_Die_Hard (@NbaSwingPass) April 23, 2024

Porzingis has been a third option on offense for the Celtics this season. He averaged 20.1 points in his first year with the team after being acquired last summer.

On the other side, Adebayo was one of the best defenders in the NBA this year. He was recently named a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year. Adebayo held DeMar DeRozan to 22 points and Joel Embiid to 23 points in the Play-In Tournament.

Game 2 of the series between the Heat and Celtics is set for Wednesday at 7 at TD Garden.

Casey Fahrer is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He can be reached at caseyfahrer716@gmail.com.

You can also check out his personal blog HERE