- The Miami Heat had a memorable run to the NBA Finals this past season
- They were, however, rather convincingly beaten in the Finals by the Denver Nuggets
- Bam Adebayo thinks injuries and fatigue were why they came up short
When the Miami Heat stole home-court advantage in Game 2 of the NBA Finals against the Denver Nuggets, it looked like they might just defy the odds yet again. The Heat had repeatedly proven their doubters wrong in the postseason, but that win in Game 2 would prove to be their last one.
The Nuggets won the next three games to clinch their first NBA title as the Heat fell just short yet again. Star big man Bam Adebayo recently spoke about their Finals defeat and he explained the reasons behind it.
“I feel like we just came up short because we had [among the most] injuries in the 2022-23 season,” Adebayo told ESPN. “[Through] all those ups and downs throughout the season… I feel like fatigue had a toll,”
The Heat certainly had their injury issues. Jimmy Butler missed 18 games in the regular season, Tyler Herro was out for 15 and Gabe Vincent missed 14. Then in the playoffs, Herro broke two fingers in Game 1 against the Milwaukee Bucks and didn’t play any further part the rest of the way.
Butler and Vincent suffered ankle injuries later on, which caused them both to miss one game in the playoffs. The Heat did somewhat hobble into the Finals, but in one way, they only have themselves to blame for being fatigued.
Had they quickly finished off the Boston Celtics after going up 3-0, maybe they’d have been fresher, but that series going to seven games might just have sealed their fate. They had just two days of rest before the Finals began, while the Nuggets had more than a week off.
Bam Adebayo Was The Heat’s Best Player In The Finals
Bam had been relatively healthy throughout the season and you can make a strong case that he was their best player in the Finals. He was assigned the tall task of guarding Nikola Jokic, but still averaged 21.8 PPG, 12.4 RPG, 3.2 APG, 0.4 SPG, and 0.8 BPG.
Had Butler played better, perhaps the series could have been a lot more competitive, but he really seemed to have run out of gas by the time the Finals came around. He had carried the team offensively up to that point and it probably made the Heat realize he needed more help. It is why they continue to try to land Damian Lillard , but it remains to be seen if they will be successful in that quest.
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