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Miami big man Bam Adebayo was involved in a controversial play during Game 4 of the Heat’s first round series vs. Boston. On the play, he landed a flagrant foul while sending Jayson Tatum tumbling to the floor.
Much dispute followed due to the fact that the extracurricular activity came after the whistle, leading to that potential injury. Broadcaster Stan Van Gundy, however, defended Adebayo on the air.
The call came late in the fourth quarter of action with the Heat trailing by double digits. A Miami player was called for an off-ball foul while Celtics guard Derrick White attempted to set a screen.
As White lined up for that pick, he was pushed in the back by Patty Mills.
The whistle blew, effectively ending the play, but the action was far from over. Jayson Tatum attempted to shoot the ball after the fact, which sparked a reaction from Adebayo.
The center went up to block the dead ball shot, getting underneath Tatum as he followed through on his motion.
The Boston star landed on Adebayo’s foot, rolled his ankle, and fell to the floor. He immediately grabbed at his lower leg as Celtics fans held their collective breath.
Adebayo landed a flagrant foul, which Stan Van Gundy disagreed with.
Bam Flagrant 1 after contesting Tatum dead ball shot 👀 pic.twitter.com/GcXoNQAia1
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 30, 2024
“Well, he shot the ball after the foul was called,” the former head coach said. “Look, Tatum decided to shoot the ball and Bam Adebayo decided to contest the shot, all after the foul was called…
“You’re not going to let the guy just get a warmup shot to get ready for the next one. I don’t think there’s anything there.”
Officials saw things differently as Adebayo was dealt that Flagrant 1.
Was the play excessive? Probably so. Was there intent to injure? There didn’t seem to be.
Depending on which side of the rivalry you’re on, you likely view the play through a different lens.
Celtics fans took a sigh of relief as Tatum was able to stay on the court to finish out the contest, helping Boston land a 102-88 win.
It’s far from the first controversy seen in this series, which the C’s now lead 3-1.
After Game 1, Boston commentator Brian Scalabrine accused Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra of ordering players to purposefully injure Celtics players. That came following another controversial play involving Jayson Tatum.
The chippy-ness has continued throughout the series with Game 5 set to take place on Wednesday. The Celtics can close things out with one more victory.