Bam Adebayo scored 83 points in a game this week. It is the second-most in an NBA contest ever, second only to Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game decades ago. Some curiously doubt that the game truly happened since it’s not recorded, making Adebayo now the record-holder in the eyes of some.
Adebayo went about it in a way that many fans and analysts are upset about. The game was a blowout, and the Miami Heat not only left Adebayo in longer than normal in that situation, but they fouled to get him extra possessions to chase history.
That has been the subject of rampant criticism, as well as the fact that the forward shot an NBA record 43 free throws. Yet, 83 points is 83 points, and neither Adebayo nor head coach Erik Spoelstra cares for the criticism.
Bam Adebayo and Erik Spoelstra aren’t apologizing
Getting 83 points on the back of 43 free-throw attempts doesn’t sit well with modern fans and analysts. Getting 83 points by fouling just to get the ball back quicker for more shot attempts doesn’t, either. It’s been labeled the most unethical game some people have ever seen.
Neither Bam Adebayo nor Erik Spoelstra cares if there’s a metaphorical asterisk on the outing. Adebayo’s name is in the record books, and fans can debate all they want. That stat line belongs to the Heat forward, and he’s not apologizing.
“I’ve got 70 with, what, nine minutes left to go in the game? You think I’m not going for it? … Who would be like, ‘You know, Coach, just take me out.’ Yeah, right,” Adebayo said. “You can’t be mad at that. If you are mad, I don’t care. Because a lot of people, if they did play, they never had a chance to get that close to chasing greatness. And if you get that close to chasing greatness, that’s the point of chasing it — so you can surpass it.”
After the next game, in which Adebayo came way back down to earth but the Heat still won, he said, “To be able to move onto the next game, get the win and figure it out in a different way … it wasn’t 83 tonight. It was 21. And if anybody’s upset, I don’t care.” He described the days between games as an emotional rollercoaster.
Erik Spoelstra has no regrets
Many coaches might have pulled their star player with the game totally out of reach. Not Erik Spoelstra. “I apologize to absolutely no one,” the Heat coach said. “Period.” The Heat committed four fouls solely to get the ball back in the fourth quarter. At some points, the Washington Wizards put four defenders (out of a possible five on the court) on Adebayo.
Spoelstra also believes the criticism is overblown. The forward had 31 points in the first quarter, 43 at halftime, 62 through three quarters, and 70 with 9:05 left. He reached 77 with 3:26 remaining, and at that point, he’s tantalizingly close to getting the non-Wilt record.
The Heat didn’t even foul to try to get the ball back faster until under two minutes left.”There was a moment, and when there’s a moment in time like that, it’s carpe diem,” Spoelstra said. “You have to go for it, and that was just thrilling. And I’m honored that we were all able to be a part of it.”
Some other NBA coaches were critical of the move. Not Nuggets coach David Adelman, though. “(Adebayo) made the extra pass in the fourth quarter when he had 60. He blocked a shot. He was still playing the game,” Adelman said. “When you get to 70, I’m sorry, man, like all bets are off. … I thought it was really cool.”
And no matter if 29 other teams’ fan bases are upset, Spoelstra knows his is not. “It doesn’t take away anything from our organization, how we feel about Bam, how special that night was,” Spoelstra said. “Our fan base is electrified by this moment.”
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