Bam Adebayo after blaming himself for Miami’s Game 5 loss to the Celtics played arguably the best game of his career and sent the Miami Heat to the NBA Finals.
The Miami Heat forward scored a career-high 32 points on 11-for-15 shooting against the Boston Celtics on Sunday, adding 14 rebounds and five assists to his collection on the night. Adebayo also went 10-for-11 from the free-throw line as Miami ran out 125-113 winners.
Watch Game 6 highlights below
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Adebayo has been a problem for Boston all series long with his rolls to the rim, his attacks off the dribble, and his pinpoint passing.
The Celtics fielded three centers in Game 6, and when Miami took a seven-point lead with four and a half minutes left, they decided to make their final push without one.
Boston put center Daniel Theis in the game and with about seven minutes left and a one-point lead. Immediately, Adebayo took Theis off the dribble from the 3-point line and threw down a thunderous, two-hand dunk.
On the next Miami possession, Adebayo went at Theis again hitting a mid-range jumper, plus a foul. On the next one, he attacked the basket, drew a double-team, and created an easy layup for Jimmy Butler with a left-handed wraparound pass.
Theis fouled out trying to defend Adebayo on the possession after that.
Adebayo was simply unstoppable, but the Heat eliminated the Celtics with a typically balanced fashion. Butler had 22 points on 8-for-19 shooting, with eight assists. Rookie guard Tyler Herro came off the bench to score 19 points, dish seven assists, and make several clutch plays. Andre Iguodala, another reserve, scored 15 points on perfect 5-for-5 shooting, including four 3s.
Boston’s Jaylen Brown got 26 points on 10-for-17 shooting, and 24 points and 11 assists were added by Jayson Tatum. The Celtics went 2-for-14 from 3-point range in the fourth quarter, though, unable to maintain the rhythm they had for much of the game against Miami’s defense.
Miami will now shift focus to the NBA finals where they face No 1 seed in the West, the Los Angeles Lakers. Game 1 of the Finals is Wednesday.
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