The entire Miami Heat fanbase rejoiced on Tuesday, as their All-Star Bam Adebayo was finally back in the starting line-up in Game 4 of the NBA Finals versus the Los Angeles Lakers.
Turns out, had Bam been able to complete at least one push-up on Sunday, the Heat medical staff would have cleared him to play in Game 3.
Per ESPN's Rachel Nichols, Adebayo was willing to play through the pain of the neck and shoulder injury he suffered back in Game 1. He was asked to perform push-ups prior to Game 4, and he passed with flying colors this time around.
Bam Adebayo back in the starting lineup. Bam told me he‘d tried to convince the medical staff he could play in Game 3, but when they asked him to do a push-up…it didn’t go well. When they asked him again today – success. pic.twitter.com/ctGRgnVgBm
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) October 7, 2020
The Heat was certainly undermanned after Bam Adebayo sat out the last two games of the series. The resilient South Beach team, however, still managed to escape with an impressive victory in Game 3 to cut the Lakers' deficit to 2-1.
Still, his teammates are delighted to see him back on the floor, particularly rookie Tyler Herro.
Tyler Herro on Bam Adebayo’s return: “A major difference. He’s our heart and soul. With him back, he changes up the dynamic of things just being in the middle mucking things up. We’re excited to have him back tonight.” (TV pregame interview)
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) October 7, 2020
NBA players, meanwhile, are just some of the most conditioned athletes in the world so completing something as rudimentary as a push-up shouldn't be a problem for them. Adebayo being unable to do one just speaks to the level of discomfort he was dealing with prior to Game 4.
The 6-foot-9 bruiser only had eight points and four boards in 21 minutes in Game 1 before leaving the floor due to injury. While his return is certainly good news for Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra, they will likely still be careful with his minutes.
The Heat is still missing the services of their third-best player, Goran Dragic, who also suffered an injury in Game 1. He tried to soldier on and warmed up before tip-off on Tuesday, but was still unable to go.
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