NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: CELTICS VS. HEAT

May 29, 2022

Bam Adebayo

Miami Heat

Game 7: Postgame

Celtics 100, Heat 96

Q. I know it's difficult at times like this, but can you sort of sum up both the night and the season and the emotions at this moment? Thank you.

BAM ADEBAYO: Blank. This is one of those things, man, you fight so hard, through all the season, ups and downs, injuries, disrespect and you still find a way to come this close. It's rough.

Q. What was your mindset offensively coming into tonight? You really seemed to attack the basket and look for your short early. Was that your mindset entering?

BAM ADEBAYO: Win or go home. At that point, it's all hands on deck. You know, leaving it all out there.

Q. I know you won't use this as an excuse, but two years ago you got to the Finals and injuries were an issue, and you dealt with a lot of injuries in this series. How frustrating was the timing of these injuries with different guys that limited some guys in this series?

BAM ADEBAYO: One thing I love about this team, we fought through adversity this whole year. We've had guys out multiple times, so it's normal to us. It's just -- this was the last one this season.

Q. Is there anything you learned about yourself in this series?

BAM ADEBAYO: Learned about myself? No, I feel like this series taught us how to go down to a Game 7. It's just unfortunate we ended up on the losing side.

Q. The two teams were obviously very closely matched. What difference do you think a healthy Tyler would have made in this series?

BAM ADEBAYO: He's our spark off the bench, so I feel like he would have made a big difference. He's our spark off the bench. He can get it going in a hurry. We missed that aspect. But like I said, we fought through adversity before. We fought being No. 1 in the East with a whole bunch of guys out and still staying No. 1 in the East.

Q. What do you think Jimmy proved not only in the series but this postseason?

BAM ADEBAYO: You can put him in that category of superstars. To me, he's one of the best two-way guys in the league, hands down.