Adebayo #13 of the Miami Heat handles the ball against the Los
Angeles Lakers during Game One of the NBA Finals on September 30,
2020 in Orlando, Florida at AdventHealth Arena. NBAE Fernando
Medina/NBAE via Getty Images/AFP
Injured Miami Heat stars Goran Dragic and Bam Adebayo
were both listed as doubtful Thursday for game two of the NBA
Finals, dealing a hammer blow to the franchise’s hopes of leveling
the series.
A day after the Heat were pounded 116-98 by the Los Angeles
Lakers in game one, Miami’s task became more daunting after
confirmation of injuries to both Dragic and Adebayo.
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Dragic has suffered a torn plantar fascia in his left foot while
a scan revealed Adebayo is nursing a neck strain in his left
side.
Both are doubtful to play on Friday, the Heat said in a
statement.
Injuries to Dragic and Adebayo deprive Miami of two of the
team’s most important players in their run to the finals.
Miami talisman Jimmy Butler, who rolled an ankle in Wednesday’s
mauling but is fit to play on Friday, said Thursday he believed the
team could bounce back.
“Knowing we may be a couple men down, other guys are going to
have to step up in a big way,” Butler said. “I’m really, really
excited to see how we bounce back, but I think we’re capable of
it.”
Butler, meanwhile, said he had spoken to a downcast Dragic since
the injury, revealing that the giant Slovenian believed he had let
down his teammates.
“It’s just tough to see him in this position because he cares
about the game, cares about his teammates, and he really wants to
win,” Butler said.
“You can hear that pain in his voice, of him feeling like that
he may have let us down, but he did not, and I want him to know
that.
“He has carried us to this point, and it’s only our duty to pay
that back to him right now.”
Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said he was confident the team
possessed enough depth to remain competitive, noting that the
roster had forged tight bonds inside the Orlando bubble.
“At this point, it’s all hands on deck, and it’s not like the
guys that were potentially sliding into the rotation haven’t played
before,” Spoelstra said.
“These guys have confidence and have played big roles for us all
year long. Our depth has been one of our biggest strengths. We’ve
utilized our depth all year long.
“The other benefit of all of this is we’ve been in this bubble
with an extra training camp and everybody has gotten great work in,
regardless of whether they’ve gotten big-time minutes in these
playoffs series.
“We’ll just have to see tomorrow who’s available and make the
adjustments accordingly.”
-AFP
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