Miami Heat Power Forward Bam Adebayo is taking aim at the national media for the lack of respect the team receives year after year.
Adebayo on the Playmaker Podcast explained that the Heat deserves more respect based on what they’ve accomplished in the last four years.
“The fact that me and my team have been to the Finals twice out the last four years, but every year they’d be like Miami is a dark horse, Miami is not good enough to do that again.”
“The first time was a fluke, and it’s a lot of disrespect like I said we’ve been to two finals in the last four years, we’ve been to three Eastern Conference Finals in the last four years, and I don’t think anybody in the East has done that in the last four years, and we’re doing it with 60% of our roster being undrafted and helping us win and somewhat at a point carrying us to the Finals. For me, I feel like that should be a bigger story than it is everybody always seems to be shocked when we’re at the top again.” (Via Playmaker Podcast)
Bam Adebayo Blast Pundits Who Call Miami a Dark Horse
Bam Adebayo has a point in this instance. How many NBA analysts had Miami reaching the NBA Finals last year? None because Miami gets disrespected year after year.
Look at what the Heat accomplished in last year’s playoff run. Miami, as an eight-seed, was three minutes away from getting knocked out in the play-in tournament against the Chicago Bulls. They then knocked off the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks, dispatched the New York Knicks in six games, and beat the Boston Celtics in seven games to advance to the NBA Finals. Miami did this as an eight-seed and was three minutes away from getting knocked out in the play-in tournament against the Chicago Bulls.
The Miami Heat should be considered a threat with Head Coach Erik Spoelstra, as he’s considered one of the best in-game tacticians in the NBA. President of Basketball Operations Pat Riley has helped keep the Heat competitive for two decades.
People forget about Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and the supporting cast because of how they look on paper, but trust me, how a team looks on paper doesn’t matter once the playoffs start.
The Miami Heat has shown that a talented roster isn’t needed to compete for a championship because it’s who can be the unsung hero to help them against the Eastern Conference heavyweights. This less talented roster could be flipped upside down in a matter of months if they manage to acquire Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard.
Bam Adebayo is right, and the Miami Heat will be a threat in the Eastern Conference next season.
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