Boston Celtics: 3 keys to taking series lead vs. Miami Heat in Game 3

Boston Celtics key to victory No. 3: Stopping Bam Adebayo

It is no secret that Bam Adebayo has struggled as the playoffs have progressed. As evident by this breakdown by the team at StatMuse, the Celtic’s defense has caused Adebayo career-low numbers.

The game plan for Ime Udoka has been to move a variety of guys on the former first-round pick. Al Horford saw significant time guarding Miami’s star big man, and zero points on 17 possessions. They also switched Grant Williams over to Bam, and that seemed to work in favor of the C’s as well. Robert Williams proved to be too much for Adebayo to overcome, as the center finished Game Two with just six points.

With the Celtics at full strength in their frontcourt, Ime Udoka opted to stay away from Daniel Theis on Adebayo. That may be for the better as the Theis vs Bam battle goes in favor of the Heat on most occasions.

It will be interesting to see what the game plan is for Game 3. Less of Theis and more of Williams is likely, but which Williams could it be?

In Game 2, Rob saw just 19 minutes, while Grant logged 32, likely due to the fact that Boston wanted to space the floor more and were comfortable with Horford at the 5. Rob will likely see an uptick in minutes, especially if Game 3 is a closer contest, but expect to see a healthy dose of attention to keeping Bam in check once again.