You can’t argue that the Miami Heat haven’t given it their all against the Cleveland Cavaliers because they have. Despite being blown out by the Cavs in two of three games so far (only a nine-point Game 2 loss), the Heat have fought hard, but the Cavs are simply another type of beast that Miami can’t keep up with. A sweep would look bad, of course, but considering the type of season the Heat went through, and still squeezing their way into the playoffs as a tenth seed, you have to credit Erik Spoelstra for getting his guys to this point at least and putting in the effort. However, one thing Miami lacks is leadership, specifically veteran leadership. It’s one element that has Bam Adebayo wishing the Heat had the veteran presence of Kevin Love, if at least from the sidelines.
Heat Could Benefit from 17-Year Veteran Champion Presence
Bam Adebayo wishes Heat veteran champion Kevin Love were around as Miami faces elimination
Love has been away from the team for a while now, as personal dealings have kept him off the floor and out of the locker room. It was reported on Sunday that Love lost his father over the weekend, Stan Love, a former NBA player from 1971 to 1975. He played with the Baltimore Bullets, the Los Angeles Lakers, and the San Antonio Spurs. Love’s father was 76 years old, and the younger Love issued a heartfelt message to his father via Instagram.
Love has been with the Heat for three seasons. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been the player he was during his Cavaliers days, running with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. Instead, Love’s leadership has been the most important contribution. His leadership and veteran experience are what Miami could use right now, as they’re down 0-3 to the Cavaliers and less than 24 hours away from being eliminated from the playoffs.
Love is a champion and knows what it’s like to be down in a series and come back. Adebayo only wishes the Heat had that experience at their disposal, as he spoke after Miami’s 124-97 Game loss on Saturday.
“Considering K-Love’s been a person who’s come back from 3-1, we could use his voice,” Bam said. “But, K-Love is going through a lot right now. We text him here and there. But understand, we’ve still got to play the game. We’ve got to figure out how to get one win. That’s what we’ll worry about on Monday.”
One win to make the series respectable
Stealing a win over the Cavaliers at this point is as daunting as it gets for Miami. Adebayo and the Heat cannot give into that type of mindset, though, no matter how high the hill is. One thread of hope Miami can look to for inspiration is the one game they stole from the Boston Celtics in round one last year. Miami had no chance of winning that series. Yet they managed to get the Celtics once before eventually losing 4-1. We’ll have to wait and find out on Monday whether they can pull off another similar miracle win over Cleveland.
One win is what Adebayo desperately wants. If Miami can at least go out avoiding a sweep, it won’t reverse the changes about to come over the summer, but it will at least make it a respectable series.
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