The Miami Heat picked up a huge victory in Game 2 of their first-round series in the 2024 NBA Playoffs against the Boston Celtics. After getting blown out in Game 1, they bounced back in a big way, evening the series with a 111-101 win.
A lot of people will focus on the red-hot shooting performance the Heat had in the game and rightfully so. More so than any team in the NBA, Miami has found a way to penetrate the Celtics’ normally strong defense with insane shooting nights.
The Heat shot 53.5 percent from 3-point range on Wednesday night. Tyler Herro, Caleb Martin, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Nikola Jovic and Haywood Highsmith all knocked down at least three 3-pointers in the game.
Herro led the way with 24 points, 14 assists and five rebounds as he was a maestro with the ball in his hands. Joining him in the double-double club in Game 2 was Heat center Bam Adebayo. Adebayo scored 21 points with 10 rebounds and two assists in the game.
However, it wasn’t what Adebayo was able to do offensively that impressed people. Instead, it was the impact he was able to have defensively that led to a former NBA front office member to shower him with praise.
In the aftermath of Game 2 on Thursday, Amin Elhassan was on the LeBatard Show discussing the impact Adebayo has for them on the court. In Elhassan’s opinion, Adebayo is the best defender in the NBA.
“He’s the best defensive player in the league, and it’s not even close. The moment you show me Rudy Gobert guarding Jayson Tatum — not on a switch, guarding Jayson Tatum, guarding Jaylen Brown — how did they bottle the Celtics’ offense in the second half? It was Bam Adebayo. It wasn’t just in help defense; it was Bam Adebayo as the primary defender on Brown, on Tatum, on Porzingis, even guarding Holiday a couple of times. That’s the best defensive player in the NBA, bar none.”
The versatility that Adebayo brings to that end of the court is a big reason Miami is as successful as they are defensively. Adebayo has the size and skill to defend every position, which he showcased in Game 2 against Boston.
Kristaps Porzingis was neutralized in the game as he was 1-for-9 from the field and 0-for-4 on 3-point attempts. Jrue Holiday wasn’t much better as he shot 4-for-12 from the field and 1-for-4 from long range.
It was Adebayo who was the driving force behind that success. The Heat will need him to continue playing at that level if they want to pull off the upset and advance to the second round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
