In an Eastern Conference finals that’s been marred by key absences (Marcus Smart, Kyle Lowry, Al Horford, Rob Williams III, and now, maybe, Jimmy Butler), dramatic returns to the floor and all the unpredictability that’s lied in between, healthy stars showcasing their own brilliance somehow matters more than it already would.
For Miami, in Game 3, that was Bam Adebayo, a matchup nightmare who, at his best, can dominate all areas of a basketball game in ways both subtle and pronounced.
After he opened the series with a pair of duds, it was clear that the Heat could not advance unless their center started to influence the action with more force. “We want him more involved and I have to do a better job of that,” Heat coach Erik Spoesltra said on Saturday morning. “And I think we’ll be able to get him in places where he can be assertive and how he was all season.”
