The Miami Heat made easy work of the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night in what turned out to be a totally dominant performance by the home team. Bam Adebayo turned in another strong performance in this one with 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting, to go along with 16 rebounds, three assists, and five steals, as the Heat cruised to a lopsided 121-84 victory at the Kaseya Center.
Adebayo spoke to the press after the win and it was an opportunity for the All-Star big man to reveal that he still holds a bit of a grudge against head coach Erik Spoelstra.
Miami Heat Star Bam Adebayo Has Deep-Rooted Issues With Erik Spoelstra
Adebayo made a bit of history on Sunday by climbing to the No. 3 spot in the Heat’s franchise history for most career double-doubles. The 26-year-old is now closing in on Miami icon Alonzo Mourning’s all-time record:
Tonight's double-double is the 186th of Bam Adebayo's career, pushing him past Hassan Whiteside for third on the franchise all-time list, now only behind the 221 of Rony Seikaly and the 205 of Alonzo Mourning.
— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) March 24, 2024
Adebayo was asked to share his thoughts on this most recent feat after the game. The 6-foot-9 big man could not help but fire a playful shot at Coach Spo for his lack of trust in Adebayo early on in the latter’s career:
“I’m still mad at [Erik Spoelstra] because he didn’t really let me play my first two years.,” Adebayo said, via Heat reporter Zach Weinberger of ClutchPoints. “But it just shows the trust that you know obviously the coaches have in me to go out there and produce. But also believeing in myself that I can be Top 5 in everything in the franchise. So yeah, just keep working towards my goals and keeping our head down.”
With the uptick in Bam Adebayo’s attempts from three, he talks about when that became a focus for him.
“I woke up one day and felt like shooting threes…” #HeatCulture pic.twitter.com/p57wwYCxVG
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) March 25, 2024
For what it’s worth, it’s not as if Adebayo was in Spoelstra’s doghouse in Bam’s first two years in the NBA. He started 47 games in 151 appearances in his first two seasons, averaging 21.7 minutes. However, it wasn’t until his junior year that Adebayo was able to firmly establish himself as a starter for the squad.
He has repaid Spoelstra’s trust by becoming one of the best big men in the NBA today. This, however, does not take away from the fact that Bam still has some deep-rooted issues with his head coach. All this was made in good fun, but as they always say, all jokes are half meant.
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