The Miami Heat are playing in the 2023 NBA Finals right now — one of the biggest series of their careers — but you’d never know it based on their demeanor. I’m not just talking about their composed on-court approach leading them to become the best No. 8 seed ever.
They clearly have a lot of fun off-court chemistry, as evidenced by a hilarious prank Jimmy Butler played on Heat center Bam Adebayo Tuesday.
As Adebayo spoke to the media during his Finals availability, Butler appeared off to the side behind some curtains. In an effort to get Adebayo’s attention (and, more importantly, distract him), Butler pretended to pull his pants down and called for his teammate’s name repeatedly.
Eventually, in an Instagram story featured on Butler’s profile, Adebayo would give into his teammate, break his speaking rhythm at the mic, and laugh about the Heat forward getting one over on him.
These Finals are tied at 1-1 and seem destined to be a contentious back-and-forth battle that everyone will want to watch over the next approximately two weeks. You’d never know the Heat were stressed about that based on this Butler prank on Adebayo.
The NBA playoffs expanded to include 16 teams in 1984 and no 8-seeds have ever won the championship.
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First, let’s start with a caveat. The Miami Heat are not like other No. 8 seeds in league history.
Miami actually finished with the seventh-best record in the Eastern Conference during the regular season. But after losing to the Atlanta Hawks during the first game of the play-in tournament back in April, the Heat had to beat the Bulls to claw their way back into the postseason.
But they became the eighth seed and had to face the No. 1 seed Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the playoffs in the East. After upsetting the Bucks and then the Knicks and then the Celtics, they earned a spot in the NBA Finals.
The NBA playoffs expanded to include 16 teams in 1984 and no 8-seeds have ever won the championship. But even without a title, the Heat are in the midst of making history.
Miami's 13 wins are the most by an 8-seed in a single postseason.
After defeating the Nuggets in Game 2 in Denver on Monday, Miami secured its 13th win of the postseason. That officially became the most by any No. 8 seed in NBA history, surpassing the previous record (12) set by the Knicks in 1998-99.
This year’s Miami squad and the 1999 Knicks are the only two 8-seeds to ever advance past the second round.Ā Aside from the 1999 Knicks, per Basketball-Reference, no other No. 8 seed has ever won more than seven games in a single postseason.
In fact, we have never seen a No. 7 seed win an NBA championship, either. The lowest-seeded team to win the NBA Finals was the No. 6 seed Rockets back in 1995.
So even if you think the Heat are not a regular No. 8 seed because they had the seventh-best record in the East, this is still arguably the most improbable upset run we have seen in the NBA.
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We updated our 2023 NBA Mock Draft, and we have Amen Thompson to the Portland Trail Blazers at No. 3 overall. Here is why:
“I do not think the Portland Trail Blazers end up using this draft pick and would prefer win-now pieces to play alongside Damian Lillard next year, and instead, Iād expect them to trade it to a team seeking to find their point guard of the future in Scoot Henderson.
But until a trade is made, Iām going to act as if Portland is indeed making the pick. In that case, be open to the possibility that the Trail Blazers may be unafraid to take an unconventional route and select Amen Thompson. As he told Casey Holdahl:
āEverybody says thereās a clear-cut top 3. I feel like thatās kind of doing the draft a disservice ā¦ Itās more than three, for sure, and if thereās three ā¦ Iām one of them.ā
Just look at who they drafted in the lottery last year and you can learn a bit of what they may value. Shaedon Sharpe was considered a āwildcardā after not playing in college but he is also one of the most athletic players in the world. Frankly, so is Amen. Both players are 6-foot-6 or taller and they would be an unreal duo in the same lineup.”
Bam Adebayo had a dominant performance in Game 2 of the NBA Finals, leading the Heat to a victory over the Nuggets.
Adebayo finished the game with 21 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks (although one was potentially goaltending) and he was massively helpful to secure the win.
Following the game, Adebayo spoke with ESPN’s Lisa Salters about his performance. It was a standard walk-off interview from someone who just evened the win count in a championship series.
After the conversation with Salters, however, the broadcast also captured an exchange in which Adebayo was very frustrated with someone.
(WARNING: These videos contain some language not safe for work.)
It was not one hundred percent clear what Adebayo said, but it seemed like it went something like this:
STAFFER:Ā I’m sorry that you had to do two and Jimmy [indecipherable].
ADEBAYO:Ā Bro, what did I tell you about that, bro? What? Bro? Stop doing that [expletive], bro.
STAFFER:Ā It’s my fault. It’s my fault.
ADEBAYO:Ā You’re good.
STAFFER:Ā It’s not Michael’s fault. It’s not Michael’s fault. It’s my fault.
ADEBAYO:Ā Stop doing that [expletive], man.
While we do not know exactly what happened, the most likely scenario is that after Adebayo was asked to do his walk-off interview with Salters, he was then asked to do another interview hit.
Adebayo, perhaps, only wanted to do one of the interviews.Ā Because the staffer mentioned Jimmy Butler, perhaps Butler was originally supposed to do the other media availability but left beforehand.
For those wondering, it appears to me as if Jimmy Butler was supposed to do 1 of the 2 on-court interviews, but he left right away.
Bam Adebayo was left do to both, and I think thatās what he wasnāt happy about. Donāt think thereās anything else here. pic.twitter.com/qvZxUD4TzB
Regardless of what caused the confusion, it was likely resolved fast because Adebayo appeared much happier during his postgame press conference while discussing his teammate Gabe Vincent.
The Denver Nuggets got close but not close enough in the final minutes of Game 2 in the 111-108 NBA Finals loss to the Miami Heat on Sunday.
What if it had been even closer if not for a missed call by officials?
The Heat were up 104-93 with less than five minutes to go when Jamal Murray drove to the hoop. He put up a shot and Bam Adebayo swatted it away. But you could hear the fans at Ball Arena furiously shouting. Why? Because they thought it was a goaltend with the ball coming down toward the hoop. It would have been two points for the Nuggets and perhaps an earlier start to their late rally.
But nope. It was a missed call and goaltending isn’t reviewable. Fans were mad:
Here’s how to watch Game 2 of the NBA Finals between Philadelphia 76ers rivals the Denver Nuggets and the Miami Heat.
The Philadelphia 76ers are out of the playoffs after a tough Game 7 loss in Round 2 to the Boston Celtics and now is the time to look around the league and see what others are doing. Two Sixers rivals, the Denver Nuggets and the Miami Heat, are battling it out in the NBA Finals.
After the Nuggets took Game 1 of this series, they will be looking for a 2-0 series lead on Sunday night in the Mile High City. The Heat will be looking to former Sixers star Jimmy Butler to lead the way and steal a game before this series shifts to South Florida for two games.
Here’s when and where you should tune in to see the matchup:
Aside from his game-changing abilities in the clutch and his versatility, one of Jimmy Butler’s best qualities is his confidence. Whenever the Miami Heat superstar steps on the court, he wills his and his team’s success into reality by believing it.
But there was an additional key moment from the Heat’s Eastern Conference Finals trophy presentation you might have missed Monday night. As TNT’s Ernie Johnson congratulated Miami for earning a berth in the 2023 NBA Finals against the Denver Nuggets, Bam Adebayo tried to offer Butler a chance at holding the Eastern Conference trophy.
In a video uncovered by Twitter user @Demar305, Butler appears to tell Adebayo he’ll hold “the next one.” As in, the NBA Finals championship trophy when he thinks the Heat eventually come out on top.
Oh, what spicy confidence:
Bam offers Jimmy Butler the trophy and he says ānoā then says āI'll hold the next oneā š¤š„š®āšØ pic.twitter.com/UTJHHaz9NG
Who am I to tell this star with a perennial chip on his shoulder that he won’t make it happen? If this video is any indication, if that’s what Butler really told Adebayo: He’s clearly got the NBA title in his crosshairs.
After Bam Adebayo put on a show with some highlight-reel dunks in Miami’s Game 3 win over Boston on Sunday, Draymond Green chimed in on Twitter with a reaction.
As the Miami Heat cruised to a 3-0 lead over the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals with a dominant 128-102 win in Game 3, Bam Adebayo put on a show in South Beach with some highlight-reel dunks.Ā
With just under eight minutes remaining in the second quarter, Duncan Robinson found Adebayo for a rim-rocking dunk that set the home crowd into a frenzy. Just a few possessions later, Adebayo added to his highlight reel with another dunk following a smooth spin cycle to the rim.Ā
With Jaylen Brown attempting to guard the form
er Kentucky Wildcat, Adebayo spun past him on the way to an emphatic jam at the rim to help fuel a Miami run.Ā
Adebayo finished the contest with 13 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field with three rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal in 26 minutes against the Celtics in Game 3.Ā
The Heat will have the chance to sweep the Celtics on Tuesday in Game 4 at home and punch their ticket to the NBA Finals.Ā
Between Jimmy Butler (scuze me, JIMMY FREAKIN BUTLER!) and a cast of characters they’ve assembled, they are a fun team to watch as they’ve made a run through the East.
The latest reason why? This exchange between Kyle Lowry and Bam Adebayo after the Heat’s Game 1 win was priceless.
Bam was talking about how he’s “a phenomenal passer,” which I think is true for a big man. But Lowry, sitting next to him and checking his phone, looked up and very much disagreed.
Then, they had a hilarious exchange that you have to watch:
"I had more assists than you!" "You had the ball more than me."
Bam Adebayo says he's a phenomenal passer which gets Kyle Lowry going Bam; "I had more assists than you did" Kyle: "You had the ball more" pic.twitter.com/MOCMPtV8zk
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) May 18, 2023
The Miami Heat had the most hilarious gift for Udonis Haslem ahead of his regular-season finale.
Ahead of his final regular-season game with the Miami Heat on Sunday, longtime NBA player Udonis Haslem got quite the parting gift from the franchise.
During a ceremony held pregame for Haslem, Heat center Bam Adebayo gave the retiring veteran a hilarious gift to commemorate all the jokes they’ve shared between each other.
Adebayo’s parting prank for Haslem was giving him a Heat-themed rocking chair, which got a delightful response from the Miami legend.
Haslem joked that his old friend Dwayne Wade should join him on the court during the presentation, with Wade looking on from the sideline to celebrate his longtime teammate.
The rocking chair did have three NBA Finals trophies on the side to commemorate the three titles that Haslem won with the franchise.
Bam Adebayo gifts Udonis Haslem a rocking chair ahead of his final regular season game. šš pic.twitter.com/g5Wllfl6Gc
Haslem will conclude his role as the NBA’s eldest statesman once the Heat’s season ends. He’s the oldest active player in the league at 42 and has been with Miami since 2003.
His retirement will signal another broken tie with a different era of the NBA, but the Heat seem very determined to send him out in style.
A standing ovation for Udonis Haslem as he checks into his final regular season home game š pic.twitter.com/VfiHFdF0O7
Haslem celebrated his regular-season finale by putting on a show in the first quarter.
He scored 13 points in one frame against the Orlando Magic, the most he’s scored in any game since the 2015 season, and banked only the seventh 3-pointer of his career.
