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Bam Adebayo, Nikola Jokic
THE Denver Nuggets beat the Miami heat in a rematch of the 2023 NBA Finals on February 29. After beating the Heat 103-97two-time MVP Nikola Jokic talked about how much he enjoys facing Heat center Bam Adebayo.
“I think he’s really effective in everything he does. He can guard 1 through 5. He’s the guy who sticks and the one who leads them. It’s always a pleasure to fight against him,” Jokic said, per Ryan Blackburn of Mile High Sports. account.
Even though the Nuggets were victorious, Bam Adebayo did his part against Jokic. The All-Star center posted a line of 18 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists while shooting six of 15 from the field.
With the loss, the Heat are 33-26, which places them 8th in the Eastern Conference. That may put them low, but 1.5 games separate them from the No. 4 seed, the New York Knicks. With 23 games remaining, the Heat have plenty of time to catch up.
If everything goes the way of the Heat and Nuggets in the upcoming playoffs, they could very well find themselves in the NBA Finals.
Damian Lillard names Bam Adebayo among top five picks
Damian Lillard wanted to join the Heat, which he confirmed in an interview with Andscape’s Marc J. Spears in a History of August 24, 2023. While with the Bucks, Lillard revealed his interest in playing next to Bam Adebayo talking with TikTok influencer “nelsontheprodigy_”.
“It would be me, LeBron (James), Steph (and Curry), Kevin Durant, and I’m going to go with Bam Adebayo,” Lillard said.
Lillard played with Adebayo and Durant on the 2021 United States men’s basketball team during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. All three helped the United States win the gold medal. It’s worth noting that Lillard also didn’t name any of his Bucks teammates or former Trail Blazers teammates. Maybe it’s because Lillard already plays with them.
Bam Adebayo responds to Damian Lillard comments
Bam Adebayo caught wind of Lillard’s comments. In fact, he first fulfilled Lillard’s wish to join forces via his X account.
“Of all the guys he could have picked, he picked me,” Adebayo told Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald in a History of February 27. “I feel like it’s respect for what I do, how I’ve improved over this year and where I started.”
Chiang then revealed that Lillard’s desire to team up with Adebayo stems from their friendship formed during their time together at the Olympics. Lillard also told Chiang that he believed his participation in the Olympics helped him gain the respect of his NBA peers.
“I want to understand what I bring, that I can have an impact on winning,” Adebayo said. “Even if they say, ‘Oh, he’s too small,’ or whatever. “He always has an impact on winning at the highest level, no matter who they are playing against or who he is playing against.”
Adebayo is a multi-time All-Star who has appeared in the NBA Finals several times. He has established himself as one of the best defenders in the league since joining the NBA in 2017. Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry have come to play with him, and maybe Lillard will be next is not out of the question. question.
Matt John covers the Boston Celtics and Phoenix Suns for Heavy.com. A Massachusetts native, he has covered the NBA since 2018, with stops at FanSided, Basketball News and Basketball Insiders. Learn more about Matt John
