Mar 15, 2026
3 min read
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra brushed aside critics of Bam Adebayo's 83-point game, saying, "You've got to go for it and it was just exciting."
MIAMI -- Erik Spoelstra had a very clear message for those who didn't like how the final minutes of Bam Adebayo's 83-point game played out.
Simply put, the Miami Heat coach doesn't care.
"I apologize to anybody," Spoelstra said Thursday."Time."
Adebayo's 83-point game — now the No. 2 player in NBA history, 17 behind Wilt Chamberlain's 100 and two ahead of Kobe Bryant's 81 — was unlike any other.The Heat scored 43 points in Tuesday's 150-129 win over the Washington Wizards, made an NBA-record 36 free throws and an NBA-record 43 attempts from the foul line.
The final few minutes were a true circus, with the Wizards housing Adebayo — who was still getting the ball — and the Heat fouling Washington players four times in the final moments to stretch the game and create more scoring opportunities up the middle.
Adebayo said that he did not see a double team from the Wizards until the fourth period, when he reached 70 points.
His takeaway: Blame the Wizards for living the rest of his life.
"I've got 70, what, nine minutes left in the game, you think I'm not going to go for it? ... Who says, 'You know, coach, take me out.'
On Thursday night, Adebayo finished with 62 points and scored 21 points to help the Heat beat the Milwaukee Bucks 112-105 for their seventh straight win.His stats were 6 of 20 from the field, 9 of 13 from the foul line and 0 of 5 from three-point range in 35 minutes.
And he was tired, as you might expect.
"To go to the next game, get a win and think about it in a different way ... tonight was not 83. It was 21," Adebayo said, describing the 48 hours between Tuesday's game and Thursday's game as a very fast game."And if anyone is upset, I don't care."
What we lost in the commotion in the final minutes of Adebayo's 83-point game, Spoelstra pointed out, is this: Adebayo had 31 points in the first quarter, 43 at halftime, 62 after three quarters, 70 with 9:05 left and 77 with 3:26 left.The first example of Miami's failure to get the ball back to Adebayo came with 1:40 left.go
"There was a moment, and when you have a moment like that, it's carpe diem," Spoelstra said, using the Latin term for "seize the day.""You have to strive for it, and it was very exciting. And I'm honored that we all got to be a part of it.
Several NBA coaches, including Tyronn Lue of the Los Angeles Clippers and David Adelman of the Denver Nuggets, indicated they had no problem with the Heat using the final minutes to help add to what was already a huge score.
Adelman said Adebayo is as good a professional as there is in the league, and it was fun to spend the night "and get a little crazy."
"He took over in the fourth quarter when he was 60. He blocked shots. He still made plays," Adelman said."When you get to 70, I'm sorry, man, it's like all bets are off... I think that's pretty cool."
Wizards coach Brian Keefe didn't seem thrilled with how the final minutes went Tuesday.He didn't mention Keefe in Orlando on Thursday before his team played the Magic.
"We're focused on today," Keefe said.
Spoelstra said he spoke to Adebayo before the game about the need for some urgency.The Heat played many of their best players – Norman Powell, Tyler Herro, Andrew Wiggins and Kel'el Ware among them – out of this game due to injuries.
“It's a Tuesday night game against a team where they're not playing for anything, where their organization is trying to lose,” Spoelstra said."We've already lost a game in that situation... As our best player and team leader, I told Bam he had to be prepared and ready. And he was."
He talked about how the Heat lost to Utah last month, a game in which the Jazz -- who would retain a first-round pick this year if he goes in the top eight of the draft -- took some of their best players in the fourth quarter and still won.
"I've seen people say you have to be a cleaner. I'm a Darwinian in this league," Spoelstra said."Honestly, you can do anything you want in this game. You can get anywhere you want to be. ... There's nothing they're doing. If you can take it and put together a great team, I don't care. You can do anything on this team. You can make it as far as you want."
Spoelstra acknowledged leaving Adebayo late in the game — Adebayo made a good check out with 1:08 remaining — was unusual.He also said that memorable moments are "what our fans want to see" and that "a really magical night came out of nowhere."
In his opinion, this should not be forgiven.
"It doesn't take away from our organization, how we feel about Bam, how special that night was," Spoelstra said."Our fan base is electrified at this point."
The coach also made it clear that he would do anything for Adebayo.
The Heat were beaten at home by a poor Sacramento team on December 6, the day before Spoelstra played in his annual 5K run to benefit Nicklaus Children's Hospital.The run started in the early hours of Sunday morning.Adebayo had just nine points in the loss to the Kings, and the Heat were slipping.
Adebayo arrived that morning without asking for help.Spoelstra was surprised by the gesture.
"He was there, not to run, but to support," Spoelstra said."Just to support people and let them know that he supported the cause. That says a lot about him as a person. That's why I'll do everything for him as a competitor and as his head coach."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
