Podcast: Is Bam’s leap here to stay? And a look at the East’s shifting power structure
The balance of power in the Eastern Conference might be shifting with James Harden debuting for the Philadelphia 76ers, but it’s still going to be tough for anyone to catch the Miami Heat.
Even after a heartbreaking 120-119 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday, the Heat still sits atop the East and will have two more shots against the conference’s most dangerous teams this weekend as Miami gets ready to face the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday and the 76ers on Saturday.
Too often, the NBA can be defined by what’s happening off the court. It’s certainly not the case this week, and David Wilson and Anthony Chiang, the Heat beat writer for the Miami Herald, are here to break it all down on a new episode of the Heat Check podcast.
It really started Monday, when Miami went wire to wire and handled the Chicago Bulls at FTX Arena. It was one of the Heat’s most complete performances of the season and gave Miami a two-game lead on the second-place Bulls, and set the tone for a potentially pivotal week.
Even with the loss to the Bucks, the Heat’s reasons for optimism are still abundant, starting with the play of Bam Adebayo. The star post player is continuing to make a case to win the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award, while also experiencing a true offensive evolution as a primary creator with point guard Kyle Lowry out for personal reasons.
In the second half of the episode, Chiang provides the latest on Victor Oladipo as the injured wing continues to claw closer to a long-awaited return following his latest trip to G League Sioux Falls.
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