Bam Adebayo stuffs Jayson Tatum at the basket to allow the Miami Heat to pull away for the win; Magic Johnson feels it is the greatest playoff block ever.
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Bam Adebayo’s Miami Heat and Jayson Tatum’s Boston Celtics took 2 very different paths to reach the Eastern Conference Finals
The Miami Heat cruised into the Eastern Conference Finals as they completed their gentleman’s sweep on the number 1 seeded Milwaukee Bucks whereas the Boston Celtics had a gruelling 7 game series against the Toronto Raptors.
The Miami Heat pulled away for the win in Game 1 of the ECF, 117-114, due to heroics from Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo in OT.
Bam Adebayo’s monster block on Jayson Tatum
With the score at 116-114, in favour of the Heat, Jayson Tatum drives hard to the rim as he gets by everyone in the lane. It is assumed that this will be an easy, one hand jam by Tatum to tie the game up at 116 a piece.
However, Bam wasn’t going to allow Tatum to have such an easy bucket with less than 10 seconds left in the game. Bam rises up and meets Tatum, rejecting the ball and yet keeping it in play.
BAM ADEBAYO DENIES IT AT THE RIM AND THE @MIAMIHEAT WIN GAME 1 IN OT! #NBAPLAYOFFS pic.twitter.com/KC93vLR2Fy
— NBA (@NBA) September 16, 2020
The All-Defensive Team center gains possession of the ball after the denial and gets fouled. He steps to the free throw line to ice the game for the Heat.
Magic Johnson reacts to Bam Adebayo’s block
NBA Twitter blew up as soon as Bam blocked Tatum’s shot, with several people calling it the best defensive play they have ever seen.
This included Hall of Fame inductee, Magic Johnson, who couldn’t get enough of the play as he called it, “the best defensive play I have ever seen in the Playoffs.”
Bam Adebayo’s block on Jayson Tatum’s dunk attempt was the best defensive play I’ve seen ever in the playoffs!!!!
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) September 16, 2020
Countless people on social media are calling this block the “Block of the year”