The Miami Heat squandered another opportunity to close out the Boston Celtics on Thursday night. After establishing a commanding 3-0 lead, the Heat are now in danger of making the wrong kind of history by allowing Jayson Tatum and Co. to come back from a virtually insurmountable lead.
ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins is more than happy to play the blame game, and in his mind, Bam Adebayo is Player 1. Big Perk went all in on the Heat big man, even going as far as dragging Los Angeles Lakers superstar Anthony Davis into his scathing rant:
“We have to keep the same energy for Bam, that we do for Anthony Davis. Because what I saw last night was ridiculous,” Perkins said. “… Dammit, you should never leave out of these games without having 15 rebounds. … You're going against Al Horford. Al Horford is 36 years old. 36. He's 36. You're more athletic, you should be able to dominate that matchup. It's no excuse.”
"We have to keep the same energy for Bam, that we do for Anthony Davis. Because what I saw last night was ridiculous."
Kendrick Perkins was NOT impressed with Bam Adebayo's play in Game 5 😳
(via @ESPNNBA)pic.twitter.com/OhsuYzftjS
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) May 26, 2023
Perkins went full savage on Adebayo, but in his defense, he does make a few valid points here. In Game 5, Adebayo logged 16 points, eight rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block in 32 minutes of action. It wasn't exactly an atrocious effort, but he did turn the ball over six times. Moreover, he allowed Al Horford to snag 11 rebounds in the ballgame — an inexcusable anomaly if you ask Kendrick Perkins.
The good news for Bam and the Heat is that they still have a couple of chances to close out the Celtics. They will be looking to do just that on Saturday in Miami in Game 6 because allowing this series to head back to Boston for a Game 7 would be a major, major problem for the Heat.
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