The big free throw disparity between the Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets during Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Friday was a notable storyline afterwards, and one the Heat’s players did not want to discuss.
The Heat only had two free throw attempts in their 104-93 loss to the Nuggets, who had 20 attempts. Bam Adebayo, who had 26 points and 13 rebounds, spoke with the media after the Game 1 loss. He was asked about the free throw difference between the teams and had a funny response.
Knowing he would be facing a fine if he criticized the officials, Adebayo asked if reporters would help pay the fine. Haywood Highsmith, who was sitting next to Adebayo, tried to contain his laughter throughout the entire exchange.
Reporter: "Bam, I promise I'm not trying to get you fined… 2 foul shots to 20. It doesn't seem like you guys are complaining about the officiating?"
Bam Adebayo: "If I do say something, will you take the fine?"
"A portion of it."
"We can't even get into that. We can't let… pic.twitter.com/YQICSpTJ8l
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 2, 2023
The Heat attempted 39 three-pointers, so a large part of the reason why they didn’t attract foul calls was because of their style of play. Still, you would expect any team to get to the line more than two times regardless of the circumstances.
Perhaps the free throw difference will be an issue that changes in Game 2 on Sunday — and the Heat players didn’t even have to incur fines for the change to happen.
