The Heat took a 2–1 series lead over the Celtics on Saturday night, in part thanks to Bam Adebayo’s 31 points and 10 rebounds. However, one of Adebayo’s most talked about plays actually went against him.
Early in the game, Adebayo was guarding Marcus Smart, and the Celtics guard went up for a shot and drew a foul on the Heat center. However, the play isn’t a clear-cut defensive foul.
On the one hand, Adebayo did technically interfere with Smart’s shooting motion, even if his face is what made contact. On the other hand, Smart appeared to initiate the contact, not the other way around.