22 May 2023 , 15:16
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Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo gave an honest response when asked if he talks to his friend and Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum.
The Heat and the Celtics are currently facing each other in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals. Sunday saw Game Three end in a 128-102 win for the Heat over the Celtics to take firm control of the series.
After three games, the Heat lead 3-0 and could complete a sweep with a win in Game Four in Miami on Tuesday night. Should that happen, they will face either the Denver Nuggets or the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals next month.
Adebayo and Tatum may have been on opposite sides, but off the court, they are both good friends - although that is very much a different story when the Heat and the Celtics face each other.
Before Sunday’s Game Three, Adebayo spoke to reporters about Tatum and the Celtics. He was asked if he has been keeping in touch with Tatum during the series, and gave a very honest answer.
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“[Expletive] no,” was his first response. “I mean, uh … no,” Adebayo then told reporters. “I don’t even talk to him on the court. He’s got on a green jersey, my jersey’s red.”
Back in February, Adebayo opened up on his friendship with Tatum, and how it impacts him on the court. The Heat center says the battle to better one another is a driving motivation to perform when he plays against Tatum and the Celtics.
“It’s mainly because of JT. I’ve known JT since we were 12,” Adebayo told in February. “Obviously, when we play each other, it’s a dogfight. I want to be like, dog, I have more wins than you. That’s how I am.
Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum and Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo have known each other years before they played in the NBA (Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)“It’s a personal battle right there. At the end of our careers, be like, ‘Well, when we played you this many times when we played each other, Bam had more wins.’”
Adebayo added: “He’s still one of my great friends in the league.”
In the Game Three win over the Celtics, Adebayo scored 13 points with three rebounds and two assists. And Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said afterward that Adebayo and Jimmy Butler are two of the big reasons that the Heat are continuing to dominate the series.
“Jimmy and Bam are both fueling that,” Spoelstra told . “They are just infusing those guys with confidence.
“Y’know, we talk about it all the time. You want to breathe life into other guys, and ultimately enjoy someone else’s success, but that takes great emotional stability.
“You’re seeing some of the role players really grow and be able to expand their games. That only happens if your star players really want that.”