Following the Celtics' Game 1 win over the Miami Heat, Kristaps Porzingis made a statement about his matchup against Adebayo, saying, "I don't care about him. I care about our team and what we're trying to achieve. This is not one-on-one, me against Bam. This is Celtics vs. Heat."
In the Celtics' 111-101 Game 2 loss against Miami, Porzingis scored just six points with a plus-minus of -32. It's crucial for him to refocus on his matchup against Bam Adebayo.
Adebayo's dominance over Porzingis in Game 2 was evident, as he scored 21 points with ten rebounds and two assists. Adebayo's efficiency was also noteworthy, shooting 9-13 from the field with a plus-minus of +20.
Porzingis averages 18.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 1.7 assists throughout nine games vs. Adebayo.
Adebayo, against Porzingis in nine games, averages 18.2 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 3.1 assists.
The reason for acquiring Porzingis in the first place was to add that X-factor that would open up the floor on offense with his ability to make it rain from behind the arc and his elite rim protection on the defensive side. This would fill the Celtics' most significant weakness: not having an elite big man to produce and lock down the opposition.
When asking Adebayo about Porzingis' comments on not caring about the matchup, Adebayo claimed he didn't hear it and said, "I'm not on social media, so I don't hear that noise. It is what it is. He can say what he wants. We're just going to go out there in between those lines, handle business."
What is interesting about this matchup is that Adebayo has a lower average in points and rebounds against the Celtics without Porzingis, with 16.2 points per game and 8.3 rebounds per game with 8.3 (19 games).
Porzingis must prioritize disrupting Adebayo on both sides of the court if the Celtics close this series in five games.
Six points is unacceptable, especially in a playoff game at home against a Miami team missing Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier.
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