From the instant Bam Adebayo's clutch block against Jayson Tatum happened at the end of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, it was clear that it would become one of the iconic plays of this postseason. In addition to the in-game impact it had for the Heat -- Adebayo stopped Boston's best player from tying the game in overtime with less than five seconds remaining -- it, unsurprisingly, had quite a physical impact on the Miami player too.
In an interview that aired on ESPN's 'The Jump', host Rachel Nichols asked what it took physically for Adebayo to make such a play with his off hand. The big man spoke candidly and admitted he had dealt with some lingering effects to his digits after the fact.
"Well two of my fingers actually went numb," he said. "It was just like a big clap, and two of my fingers went numb."
Video of the interview is spliced with a clip that shows that the pain Adebayo felt was rather immediate. Slow-motion footage of his teammates congratulating the forward after the play shows him shaking out his left hand.
Adebayo's block was what essentially sealed the Game 1 victory for the Heat over the Celtics. While there weren't any similar plays in Game 2 -- though, to be fair, it'd be hard to top a play that Magic Johnson called the best defensive play he's seen in the playoffs -- his defensive presence helped push his team to a 2-0 series lead over Boston. You can watch the entirety of his interview with Nichols down below.
