The Miami Heat were one win away from reaching the NBA Finals for the second time in three seasons when they were eliminated from the 2022 NBA Playoffs. Though it was a hard fought contest the Miami Heat were eliminated in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference Finals battle by the Boston Celtics, who advance to their first NBA Finals since 2010. Miami misses out on their sixth Finals appearance since 2011.
It was a painful loss for the Heat, who were plagued by the failure of several of their supporting team members to bear the load alongside Jimmy Butler in this series. Bam Adebayo, for example, struggled in five of the seven games in this series.
He didn’t have as much trouble tonight, as he was the only dependable offensive option outside of Butler. On several occasions, the team came together to make it a close game, but they were never able to seize the lead. After the game, Adebayo was enraged and ripped his jersey off in the tunnel:
https://bit.ly/3924TpI
As a team fan, you never want to watch one of your star players rip his shirt off. However, considering the circumstances, it’s understandable why Bam reacted so quickly. Frustration boils over, and there aren’t many other methods for a player with cameras on them to express themselves.
Adebayo is one of the Heat’s most promising young players, having signed a contract extension the season before. He’ll undoubtedly take something positive from this setback and apply it to the rest of his career.
The Heat had a lot of confidence after winning Game 6, but Game 7 was one of the most demoralizing evenings the team has had this season. Hopefully, the club will improve even more next season, and Adebayo will be able to improve some of his offensive weaknesses during the off-season.
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