Miami Heat president Pat Riley is defending Bam Adebayo after some criticized his 83-point game.
Critics questioned the Heat’s decision to deliberately foul or miss free throws to give Adebayo more chances to score in their 150-129 victory over the Wizards. These tactics led some to believe that Adebayo’s achievement was less impressive, but Riley disagrees.
“It’s nonsense. It really is. Anyone being negative about this, anyone discussing it in a cynical way, is just trying to get attention online or they’re podcasters and that’s their job,” Riley told Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.
“There are critics who are unjustified in their comments about the tactics. We were fouled, just like they were. This is similar to Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game back in the day. I don’t accept those views. They’re trying to downplay an incredible performance, and that’s not fair.”
Many people likely agree with Riley, even though the fourth quarter of the game had its issues. Adebayo scored 14 points from the free throw line, leading some to feel this affected the validity of his achievement. Others were frustrated because this allowed Adebayo to surpass Kobe Bryant’s 81-point mark.
Adebayo has stated he won’t apologize for how he got his points, and the Heat organization supports him in this stance.