Miami Heat's Erik Spoelstra Praises Work Of Bam Adebayo In Series Against Boston Celtics

Shandel Richardson | May 1, 2024

May 1, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) shoots against the Boston Celtics - Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports / Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Heat's season ended Wednesday against the Boston Celtics but it had nothing to do with the play of center Bam Adebayo.

Adebayo, the team captain, did everything possible to keep them alive in the postseason. He finished with23 points, six assists and five rebounds in the 118-84 loss in Game 5 in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Celtics won the series 4-1.

"We were down a thousand," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "I had every intention of playing him 48 minutes if the game was within reach. Bam is a warrior. He'll battle. He brought a competitive spirit but collectively we were far from our best." 

The Heat lost all games in the series by at least double-digits. It was especially disappointing because they showed so much promise in Game 2 when they stole a victory in Boston. Upon returning home to Miami, they lost both in Kaseya Center. They then continued the poor play in the series-finale.

"You have to credit Boston," Spoelstra said. "They took control of this game. You could sense that they wanted to end this right now and not let things get back to Miami. That's the sign of a mature team." 

In the Heat's defense, they were ousted because of the unfortunate circumstances. They played the whole series without Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier, who were both sidelined because of injuries. Then on the day before Game 5, they learned rookie Jaime Jaquez was unable to play due to a hip injury.