There might not be a more excruciating way to lose a game than through a game-winning buzzer beater. To see the game slip away from your grasp as the ball tickles the twine concurrently with the sound of the horn is perhaps the most heartbreaking sight for an NBA player. Bam Adebayo and the Miami Heat were unfortunately on the receiving end of such a play after Josh Hart made a corner three to win the game, 110-107, for the Portland Trail Blazers.
Nevertheless, Bam Adebayo couldn't help but tip his cap to Hart, Damian Lillard, and the rest of the Blazers after such a hard-fought game. While the 25-year old big man is certainly disheartened by a loss of such nature, taking a deep breath as he sat in front of the press, he praised Hart for making a “great shot”, a stark contrast to what Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George initially remarked about Lillard's game-winner from the logo back in the 2019 postseason.
“[Hart] hit a hell of a shot. I can't really give you a distinct answer on that, I mean, he just made a great play,” Adebayo said in his postgame presser, per Bally Sports Florida. “Anybody but [Damian Lillard] in that scenario. You see Damian Lillard dribbling up, you want the ball out of his hands. Josh Hart made a great shot.”
"He hit a hell of a shot…You see Damian Lillard dribbling up, you want the ball out of his hands. Josh Hart made a great shot."
Bam Adebayo speaks about the final moments of the Heat's loss tonight to the Blazers@MiamiHEAT | #HEATCulture pic.twitter.com/R2bztbhMM7
— Bally Sports Florida & Bally Sports Sun (@BallySportsFL) November 8, 2022
The Heat, indeed, tried their best to prevent Lillard from launching one of his signature deep bombs to rip the life out of his opponent. With Dame bringing up the ball, Jimmy Butler and Duncan Robinson were scrambling to prevent him from getting any airspace to attempt a triple. With Lillard getting the step on Robinson, Kyle Lowry, the strong-side defender, lunged to help, leaving Hart open. And the rest was history.
Josh Hart's “great shot” came after the Heat had tied the game at 107 apiece with a Max Strus triple, which makes the Heat's defeat even more excruciating what with the immense emotional highs and lows they experienced over the span of a minute.
so to recap.
max strus 3 to tie.
the "are we gonna take a timeout, nah"
dame getting downhill vs. duncan robinson.
kick to josh hart for 3 at the buzzer. pic.twitter.com/PLI5qIXP5u— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) November 8, 2022
On the other hand, to Paul George's credit, he later recanted his “bad shot” remarks, saying that Damian Lillard's prayer was, indeed, a “great shot” during the 2021 All-Star weekend.
In the loss, Bam Adebayo put up 16 points and five rebounds in 33 minutes as the Heat fall to 4-7 to begin the year. The Heat will look to bounce back against the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday night at FTX Arena.
Follow Us
Subscribe