The Miami Heat received a major boost with the return of center Bam Adebayo for Game 4 of the NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. Fans are now holding out hope for the prospect of guard Goran Dragic joining him.
Dragic is currently listed as doubtful with a torn left plantar fascia that has threatened to keep him out for the rest of the series. According to Shams Charinia of The Athletic, however, he will test it during warm-ups to determine if he can play:
Miami Heat guard Goran Dragic will warm up before Game 4 of NBA Finals tonight to attempt to play, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. If Dragic can tolerate pain with torn plantar fascia in foot, he will play.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 6, 2020
This is certainly quite the development considering Goran Dragic had acknowledged the severity of the injury potentially being enough to make him a liability on the court. Regardless, it appears the Heat's 115-103 victory over the Lakers in Game 3 and the return of Adebayo have made him reconsider playing through it.
The injury initially sidelined Dragic for the second half of Game 2 along with the entirety of Game 3. There is no question that his absence has dealt a crushing blow to Miami's rotation, with him and Adebayo averaging 38.0 points combined throughout the playoffs. Although he may not be at full strength right now, his leadership and experience could help pay huge dividends against Los Angeles.
Even if Dragic is unable to play, the win in Game 3 bought the Heat some time for a potential return at some point in the series. At the very least, they can take solace in the fact that the neck injury Adebayo suffered will not be enough to keep him out.
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