"He can impact the game so much without even being on the court" - Bam Adebayo credits Miami Heat legend and 3x NBA champion for inspiring him to put up a monster Game 3 performance against Celtics
Miami Heat All-Star Bam Adebayo has praised teammate Udonis Haslem's influence in the locker room. His comments come after he put in a fine performance in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics on Saturday.
Adebayo waxed lyrical about the effect that Haslem has had on his teammates without being on the court. The center confessed that the veteran was the one who pushed him to be aggressive after a lackluster start to the series.
Adebayo said:
"UD’s the biggest person I can say. He can impact the game so much without even being on the court."
Adebayo dropped 31 points on Saturday night, along with 10 rebounds, six assists and four steals.
He helped the Miami Heat beat the Boston Celtics 109-103 in Game 3 and take back home-court advantage after dropping Game 2 (127-102) in South Beach.
Bam Adebayo on who pushed him most to be aggressive:
“UD’s the biggest person I can say. He can impact the game so much without even being on the court.”
How important is Bam Adebayo to the Miami Heat?
Bam Adebayo has had an atrocious start to the Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics. The Celtics defense limited the center to just 10 shots in the first two games combined (four shots in Game 1 and six shots in Game 2).
Such performances are simply not acceptable from an All-Star, and the folks in the media are right to criticize Adebayo for this.
However, what must also be kept in mind is that Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra doesn't necessarily run plays for Adebayo. This leaves the center in a bit of a no-man's land from time to time.
The Miami Heat's success in the regular season was largely due to Erik Spoelstra's excellent coaching and Adebayo and Tyler Herro's performances. However, both players were far from convincing in the first two games of the series against the Boston Celtics.
Jimmy Butler has been the lone star for the Heat in Games 1 and 2. The franchise will desperately need Adebayo and others to help him out in the upcoming games.
Adebayo's performance in Game 3 was a perfect example of how important he can be to the Miami Heat's success.