IN THE LANE

A BIG FAN: Denied the opportunity for the award himself, largely because of the time missed due to injury, Warriors forward Draymond Green instead lashed out at those who did not have the Heat’s Adebayo as a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year, which ultimately went to Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart. “I thought it was a shame that Bam Adebayo wasn’t top three,” Green said on his podcast. “I’m not sure what Bam has to do to get into the top three. But it was a crying shame that he didn’t make the top three. I can go on and on about that. But I think we all know how ridiculous it is that Bam Adebayo, sitting first place in the East, did not make the top three. Absolutely terrible. Bam I’m not sure what you got to do my brother.” Green, who teamed with Adebayo for Olympic gold last summer, added, “It don’t be adding up to me. I see Bam Adebayo. I see him switch on the five. I see him be the catalyst to that defense, be the anchor to it. I see all of that. I see you Bam. I appreciate your defense my bother. I don’t know what you got to do to get some recognition for it.”

61ST PICK MOVES UP: In previous years, the goal for the Heat often was to wrap up No. 61 in the immediate wake of the NBA draft, the perceived best player to go undrafted. That included their poker face with Duncan Robinson through the 2018 draft process. This year, it will be a bit different. Again without a second-round pick, as they seemingly always are, the hunt will be

for Mr. 59. That is one pick after the selections will end in June. What would have been the No.

55 pick was forfeited by the Heat as the result of the NBA’s ruling of early contact with Kyle Lowry ahead of last summer’s free agency. And what would have been No. 54 was forfeited by the Milwaukee Bucks over their free-agency shenanigans in the 2020 offseason with Bogdan Bogdanovic, who instead signed with the Hawks and is facing the Heat in this first round. The forfeited Heat pick was the one obtained from the Denver Nuggets in the 2019 draft-night trade for the rights to center Bol Bol. The Heat do not hold their own second-round pick until 2028.

TANK TIME: Now dealing with the injury loss of Khris Middleton, it could be argued that karma has caught up to the Bucks. Positioned to finish No. 2 in the East on the closing day of the regular season, the Bucks instead laid down against the Cleveland Cavaliers, to get into the perceived easier No. 3-No. 6 opening-round matchup against the Chicago Bulls. That decision, however, came at the cost of vaulting the Celtics to No. 2. The cost now could be playing as the road team against the Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals, should both teams advance. And the way the Celtics have been playing, it well could turn out to be a careful for-what-you-wished-for scenario. For their part, the Heat went for and achieved No. 1, with homecourt throughout the East bracket of the playoffs. (Although with a win on closing night in Orlando, when they sat their starters, the Heat lost out on the chance of hosting an NBA Finals against the Warriors. So perhaps down-the-road second-guessing there, as well.)

LEARNING EXPERIENCE: If nothing else, Heat 2020 first-round pick Precious Achiuwa arguably got the worst moment of his NBA career out of the way relatively early, when he missed a pair of final-seconds free throws that could have given the Toronto Raptors a Game 3 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. “First time I’m actually playing significant minutes in the playoffs, just learning,” Achiuwa said. “Moving on, just getting better. Definitely I know I’m going to be back here a lot of times in my career. It’s a learning experience moving forward for me.” Said veteran Raptors guard Fred VanVleet, “He’ll lose some sleep over the free throws, as we all do. We’ve all been there.”