Inside The Heat

ESPN's Kendrick Perkins Takes Aim At Miami Heat's Bam Adebayo For Struggling In Game 5 Against Celtics

ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins says Bam Adebayo need to play more consistent, especially in close-out games
Shandel Richardson|
ESPN's Kendrick Perkins Takes Aim At Miami Heat's Bam Adebayo For Struggling In Game 5 Against Celtics
ESPN's Kendrick Perkins Takes Aim At Miami Heat's Bam Adebayo For Struggling In Game 5 Against Celtics

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ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins didn't hold back when giving his assessment of Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo's play in Game 5 against the Boston Celtics. 

Adebayo had 16 points on 8 of 15 shooting and eight rebounds in a 110-97 loss. Most of his production came after the outcome was decided. 

"I just feel like with Jimmy [Butler], when you get toward the end of the series, it's not about Xs and Os and strategies and things to that nature," Perkins said on ESPN's NBA Today. "It's about your superstars taking over the game. You cannot walk into Boston in Game 5 and only take [15] shots." 

In Game 4, Adebayo was only 4 of 7 from the field with 10 points and five rebounds. Perkins said Adebayo is deserving of the same criticism as Los Angeles Lakers center Anthony Davis because both players were inconsistent this postseason. 

"We have to keep the same energy for Bam that we do for Anthony Davis," Perkins said. "Because what I saw last night was ridiculous. I don't understand him being so inconsistent." 

Finally, Perkins took exception to Adebayo, a 25-year-old All-Star, unable to outplay veteran Al Horford. Horford outrebounded Adebayo 18-13 in the last two games. 

"I ain't saying go out there and get a 40-piece," Perkins said. "I'm not saying that, but dammit you should never leave out of these games without having 15 rebounds. That's one of their Achilles heels far as going against the Celtics, it's the boards. You're going against Al Horford. Al Horford is 36 years old. You're more athletic, you should be able to dominate matchup. It's no excuse." 

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Shandel Richardson covers the Miami Heat for Inside The Heat.

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star. TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here

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