Miami’s Adebayo, Dragic address their status
The chances of Bam Adebayo returning for Game 4 of these NBA Finals rose Monday afternoon when the Miami Heat upgraded his status from doubtful to questionable. But Heat guard Goran Dragic said he’s unlikely to play in Game 4 against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday – he’s listed as doubtful – and that there’s no timetable for his return.
Adebayo (neck strain) and Dragic (torn plantar fascia in left foot) did not play for the second consecutive game Sunday after exiting Game 1 against the Los Angeles Lakers because of their injuries.
Adebayo said he hasn’t been told by team doctors and coaches if he will be permitted to play in Game 4 on Tuesday (9 p.m., ABC). But hours later, the Heat upgraded him to questionable.
Dragic said it’s unlikely he will play in Game 4 on Tuesday, was non-committal for the remainder of the series and admitted he’s in considerable pain.
Before Sunday’s game, Adebayo went through some on-court work with Heat coaches. But Adebayo said the decision about playing is out of his hands.
“It’s more soreness,” he said. “It’s like a neck strain, near your neck, near your brain, more serious than tweaking an ankle. They [Heat medical officials and coaches] are being careful with me, making sure I’m 100 percent.
“I’m getting better. It’s up to the medical staff. They’re trying, I’m trying to get back as quickly as possible. They’re trying to make sure I’m safe and ready to play. It’s day to day. When they say I’m ready to play, I will be out there.”
Asked if he was told if the injury could become more serious if he plays, Adebayo said: “Any injury can get worse. They haven’t said it could get worse. They just want me to be safe. They want to make sure this injury doesn’t get worse and that I’m back to where I was before.”
Adebayo said “this injury has nothing to do” with the shoulder injury he sustained in the Boston series.
Meanwhile, Dragic said he played through the plantar fascia injury in the past two rounds of the playoffs but that it’s much worse now because it has been torn completely.
Dragic said he has no timetable to return and that there’s a low percentage he would play Tuesday.
“It’s already damaged,” Dragic said when asked if he could make it worse by playing. “I snapped it. The injury is not new. I played the last two series; it was not so severe. [Now], it’s already as bad as it is. I am dealing with a lot of pain. That’s the main concern. I don’t want to be a liability on the floor for my team. I want to be the best I can be.”
CAN HE PLAY?
Does Dragic believe he will be able to play in this series?
“If I am honest, I don’t know,” he said. “This injury depends on how it goes. It progresses different from other guys. The only thing I can do is be on top of my treatments. I’m doing that 24/7. If I have a few days [maybe I can play]. I’m making some progress. Some days I’m the same. [Doctors] say it could change. It’s better than it was. We’ll see how it reacts in the near future. I’m doing everything I can do.”
Adebayo and Dragic said not being able to play in their first NBA Finals has taken an emotional toll.
“I ask myself, I ask the guy above us, ‘Why it has to happen right now?’” Dragic said. “I want to be out there with my team. That’s what I work my whole carer for 12 years to be in the NBA. The injury is not new. It’s not easy to sit on the sideline and watch my team. Of course I want to be out there.”
Adebayo said: “To be in the Finals and medical staff and Spo [Erik Spoelstra] telling me I can’t play, it sucks but I understand. I’ve got to take care of my health. It’s hard to hear your coach say, ‘No you can’t go.’ I lose my head, start kicking stuff over and get upset. It is what it is so I have to deal with it.
“I don’t miss games. That’s not how I’m built. I want to play. It sucks being on the sideline. It’s difficult. I’ve only missed one game since my rookie season, so I don’t like missing games. If you’re wondering if I’m really injured, there you go. I’ve played through bruises and getting beat up. I make it to my first Finals and I’m like, ‘Bro we dream of things like that.’ It [hurts] me mentally because it hurts me I can’t be out there with my team.”
To appreciate their value, consider that the Heat has outscored opponents by a total of 55 points in the playoffs with both Adebayo and Dragic on the court. In the eight minutes Jimmy Butler, Adebayo and Dragic played together in Game 1 of the Finals, the Heat outscored the Lakers 29-12.
Adebayo has missed only three games since the start of his second season - and two of those have come in this series. He has been exceptional in these playoffs, averaging 17.8 points on 55.7 percent shooting, 10.9 rebounds (fifth among all players in postseason), 4.6 assists and 1.1 steals. Sunday marked just the third game Adebayo has missed since the start of his second NBA season.
Dragic, who will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, has been the Heat’s leading secondleading scorer in postseason, averaging 19.9 points on 45.0 percent shooting, along with 4.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists. He’s 19th in scoring in the playoffs and 12th among players who have played at least 10 playoff games.
With Adebayo on the floor this postseason, Miami has outscored opponents by 77 points. That’s the Heat’s same plus/ minus with Dragic, and that figure leads the team.
The Heat started Herro in Dragic’s place and center Meyers Leonard in Adebayo’s place Sunday for the second consecutive game.
MAN DEFENSE
Butler said he was pleased that Miami used more man defense (and consequently, a lot less zone) in Game 3 because it allowed Heat players to be more physical.
Anthony Davis’ “rebounding came within our zone defense, and so we tried to man up as much as possible in this game and get a body on him,” Jae Crowder said. “Sometimes in the zone he can roam free and he’s so big and tall and athletic and gets rebounds. I feel like our man-to-man defense held him to what we wanted.”