Bam Adebayo won't speak with Jayson Tatum during Heat-C's series originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
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Bam Adebayo and Jayson Tatum's friendship goes back more than a decade, but that relationship has been put on hold for the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals.
Adebayo and the No. 8 seed Miami Heat have a 2-0 series lead heading into Sunday's showdown. Their success in the series, and throughout the postseason thus far, can be attributed to their ultra-competitive mindset.
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That attitude has been embraced by Adebayo, who was asked prior to Game 3 whether he keeps in touch with Tatum between games.
“(Expletive) no. I mean, uh no,” Adebayo answered. “I don’t even talk to him on the court. He’s got on a green jersey, my jersey’s red.”
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Given Adebayo's past comments about Tatum and the Celtics, his latest remark shouldn't come as a surprise. The two-time All-Star big man told Bleacher Report's Taylor Rooks why he dislikes the C's back in February.
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“It’s mainly because of JT," he said. "I’ve known JT since we were 12. Obviously, when we play each other, it’s a dogfight. I want to be like, dog, I have more wins than you. That’s how I am. It’s a personal battle right there. At the end of our careers, be like, ‘Well, when we played you this many times, when we played each other, Bam had more wins.’”
As of Sunday, Adebayo has a 17-16 advantage over Tatum in the regular season and playoffs.
Tatum and the Celtics will look to even that record with a critical Game 3 win at Kaseya Center. Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. ET with Celtics Pregame Live at 7:30 p.m. right here on NBC Sports Boston.
