Bam Adebayo Shines in Miami Heat’s Game 3 Win Against The Celtics

Adebayo had his best playoff performance against Boston last night.

Bam Adebayo has been relatively quiet this NBA postseason. 

In this series against the Boston Celtics, Adebayo averaged eight points on just 10 field goal attempts. While he is still playing solid defense, many were criticizing the big man for not being aggressive enough offensively.

This game silenced those critics.

Adebayo exploded in Game 3 against the Celtics. The Heat center had 31 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, shooting 15 of 22 from the field. In addition to his offensive performance, Adebayo also had the defensive presence that made a difference for the Heat late in the game. He finished with four steals and one block on that end. This allowed Adebayo to be the two-way player that made him an All-Star.

P.J. Tucker talked about how his aggressiveness helped the Heat in their victory.

“We need Bam to be aggressive and make plays for himself and for everybody else,” Tucker said. “His versatility just opens up everything for everybody. You gotta tag, you gotta be there when he gets the rolls. Offensive rebounding, he’s just such a force in his versatility. It helps open the threes up, be able to get in the pocket, pick and rolls, all that stuff. It’s essential for him to get going and it was good to see him get going early, because I knew it would be a long night.”

Jimmy Butler left the game at halftime with right knee inflammation, leaving Adebayo step up for Miami in the second half of the game. Fans and analysts were begging for Heat players to improve their level of play to help Butler during these playoffs. Adebayo certainly did his part, playing with poise and grit to help Miami go up 2-1 in the series.

Jayden Armant is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He is a student at Howard University. He can be reached at jayden.armant@bison.howard.edu or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.