The first-round series showdown between the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat is expected by many to end up decidedly in the latter’s favor.
That belief should have strengthened after Boston throttled the Heat in a 114-94 home win on Sunday to take an early 1-0 lead in the series. But within that matchup is an intriguing and compelling individual tussle between two of the best big men in the league today in Heat’s Bam Adebayo and Celtics unicorn Bam Adebayo.
Boston Celtics’ Kristaps Porzingis Has His Entire Focus on Winning the Series
After the blowout win in Game 1 over the Heat, the Latvian star was asked about his matchup against Adebayo and whether he takes it personally.
“I don’t care about him. I care about our team and what we’re trying to achieve, Porzingis responded. “This is not one on one, me against Bam. This is Celtics vs Heat.”
Porzingis can downplay his battle against Adebayo but that will not diminish the interest fans have in this head-to-head.
Porzingis and Adebayo already had great starts to the series, with the former scoring 18 points and grabbing four rebounds with two blocks along with four 3-pointers in Game 1, while the latter had 24 points, six rebounds, and three assists. There is a lot more riding on the shoulders of Adebayo, with Jimmy Butler not expected to play in this series, so his aggressiveness in attacking Porzingis’ defense and defending against the Boston center are crucial factors for the Heat, who will look to recover in Game 2 this coming Wednesday.
