Heat's Bam Adebayo Day-to-Day with Neck Injury Before Finals Game 4 vs. Lakers

Miami Heat star center Bam Adebayo announced Monday that he is day-to-day with a neck injury. 

"I'm getting better. It's up to the medical staff..." Adebayo said. "I'm trying to get back as quickly as possible. It's really day-to-day. When they say I'm ready to play I'll be out there."

In the wake of the comments, the Heat upgraded Adebayo to questionable for Game 4, per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.

Adebayo revealed he was frustrated being sidelined for Games 2 and 3 of the NBA Finals.

"I don't miss games. That's not me. That's how I'm built. I want to play," he told reporters. "To be in the Finals and the medical staff is telling me I can't play, [head coach Erik Spoelstra] is telling me I can't play, it sucks."

The injury is serious enough that the Heat have remained cautious to this point, however, with Adebayo noting that the neck strain is "near your brain, more serious than tweaking your ankle."

While Adebayo is hoping to be available for Game 4, his teammate Goran Dragic—who also missed Games 2 and 3 with a foot injury—was less optimistic:

The Heat trail the Los Angeles Lakers 2-1 in the NBA Finals in large part due to Jimmy Butler's epic triple-double in Game 3 (40 points, 13 assists, 11 rebounds, two blocks, two steals). Adebayo praised the superstar performance from his teammate. 

"He really put the team on his back and really wanted the win," he told reporters.

"A lot of people don't know about Jimmy, including his teammates," he added. "We don't really see him because he's in his room making Big Face Coffee."

Butler's huge game was enough to steal a win in this series for Miami. But if Adebayo and Dragic can't go again in Game 4, it will be a huge blow for a Miami team that was already the underdog when those two key starters were healthy and available.