Two of Heat’s most important players shine in loss to Celtics

Bam Adebayo stepped up

It’s always great to see an aggressive Bam Adebayo, and tonight he made it known from the first quarter that he was going to be in attack mode.

While new Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis has a clear height advantage on Adebayo, Porzingis has nowhere near enough lateral quickness or speed to stay with Adebayo, leading to and-1’s and multiple fouls that led to Porzingis eventually fouling out. Adebayo also showed no hesitation tonight and was very decisive when he was going to shoot.

“At this point, it’s about getting to my spots and living with the results,” Adebayo said.

Adebayo was also tied with Butler tonight for the most free throws attempted with nine, highlighting Adebayo putting constant pressure on Boston’s front court and putting them in uncomfortable situations leading to trips to the charity stripe.

We all know the responsibility Adebayo has defensively, which makes his great offensive outings all the more impressive. Although tonight’s effort did not lead to a victory, more performances like tonight from Adebayo will greatly increase Miami’s success in the long run.

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