"The rim was as big as the ocean" - Bam Adebayo says the Heat were feeling it in Game 3
Bam Adebayo came up with a hilarious statement to describe the Miami Heat's 128-102 blowout loss over the Boston Celtics in Sunday's Game 3 contest. The Heat played their best offensive game of the playoffs, shooting the lights out.
Miami made 56.8% of their shots, including 19-of-35 from 3-point range. Six players hit a 3-pointer, with at least three making four or more shots from behind the arc. Adebayo reflected on the Heat's clinical offense, saying (via NBA on ESPN):
"I mean, as you can tell, the rim was as big as the ocean for everybody. Making the extra pass, making the right pass, and everybody playing together.
"The rim was as big as the ocean for everybody."
— Bam Adebayo after the Heat's 26-point win 😂 https://t.co/7nRdbnFYhV
The Miami Heat's hot shooting game saw them dish 25 assists as a team. Gabe Vincent was the unlikely hero of the contest as he tallied a career-high 29 points on 11-of-14 shooting, including 6-of-9 from deep. Duncan Robinson (22 points) shot 5-of-7 from 3-point range, while Caleb Martin (18 points) went 4-of-7 from distance to guide the Heat to a blowout win.
Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo contributed to the damage early and rested the entire fourth quarter. Butler had 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while Adebayo tallied 13 points on 4-of-5 shooting. They played 31 and 25 minutes, respectively.
Bam Adebayo says the Heat have played with a chip on their shoulder all year
The Miami Heat had the fire in them right from the beginning and not just in the playoffs, which they entered as the eighth seed. The Heat were believed to be out of contention in the preseason after they failed to make quality additions to their team.
PJ Tucker departed in the offseason to join rivals, the Philadelphia 76ers, as the Heat watched other contenders like the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics improve too. Miami hovered around the .500 mark for the better part of the season.
They went from being the No. 1 seed last year to boasting the seventh-best record in the East this season. Their dip this season warranted criticism from all over, but that only gave them the motivation to succeed. Bam Adebayo reflected on Miami's mindset after they went up 3-0 against the Boston Celtics in the conference finals, saying:
"From the beginning of the year. People always counted us out. Always said we weren't good enough... We've got too many undrafted guys. I mean, we've been here year after year. So, for us we got the motivation we got a chip, and we looking forward now."
Miami Heat
- Two play-in games
- No. 8 seed
- Defeats No. 1 seed Bucks in 5 games
- Defeats No. 5 seed Knicks in 6 games
- Up 3-0 vs. No. 2 seed Celtics
- 1 win away for the NBA Finals
Nothing but respect. 🔥 https://t.co/EQe360FMh8
The Heat are on a tear in these playoffs, riding behind the excellence of coach Erik Spoelstra and star player Jimmy Butler's execution. However, any team needs role players to execute their jobs to perfection to succeed, and that's what Miami's undrafted pool of players has done.
Bam Adebayo and Co. are likely en route to their second finals appearance in three years, which is a commendable feat, considering they were far down the order as per the oddsmakers to have a successful postseason run.