The Miami Heat bowed out of the 2022 NBA Playoffs, and they were one win away from reaching the NBA Finals for the second time in three seasons. Miami was eliminated by the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference Finals matchup, as the Celtics go to their first NBA Finals since 2010. Miami falls short of making it to their sixth Finals since 2011.
It was a tough loss for the Heat, as this series was characterized by a distinct failure of many of the Heat supporting cast members not being able to carry the load alongside Jimmy Butler. This included Bam Adebayo, who struggled in 5 out of the 7 games of this series.
Tonight was one of the nights where he didn’t struggle as much, being the only reliable offensive option outside Butler. The team coalesced to make it a close game on many occasions, but they could never push the gas and take a lead. Adebayo was extremely frustrated after the game, ripping his jersey off in the tunnel:
Bam ripped his jersey at the end of Game 7 😱 pic.twitter.com/jpce0AYKpK
— ESPN (@espn) May 30, 2022
As a fan of a team, you never want to see one of your star players rip their jersey off. However, given the circumstances, one can understand why Bam had this instant reaction. Frustration boils over and, as a player with cameras on you, there aren’t many other ways a player can show their frustration.
Adebayo is one of the young centerpieces of this Heat franchise and signed a contract extension the season prior to this one. He is bound to learn from this heartbreak and use it to motivate him for the rest of his career.
The Heat’s Game 6 win gave them a lot of momentum and Game 7 was one of the most deflating nights the franchise has had this season. Hopefully, the team can rebound even better next season and Adebayo can mitigate some of his offensive flaws over this off-season.
