Monday night sealed the third loss of the season for the Miami Heat, a nail-biting thriller against the Sacramento Kings. But there was a reason for the Heat fans to initially celebrate. Bam Adebayo, Nikola Jovic, and their HC Erik Spoelstra celebrated their achievements from the Paris Olympics with a ceremony at halftime on Monday. A new banner recognizing Adebayo’s Olympic gold medal with Team USA, joined his Tokyo 2021 banner, in the arena rafters. The hooper’s franchise HC served as an assistant for Team USA, and Nikola Jovic earned a bronze with Serbia.

Bam Adebayo, standing proudly beside his mother, who wore his Tokyo gold, draped his newest medal around his neck, sharing, “Keep tallying them up… It keeps marking my name in the history books.” Undoubtedly, a special moment for any player.

In 6 Olympic games, Adebayo contributed an average of 6 points and 3.7 rebounds, helping the U.S. team remain undefeated. In the semifinals, they overcame Serbia, ultimately clinching a fifth consecutive gold with a flurry of late-game 3-pointers by Stephen Curry against the hosts. This latest gold places Adebayo’s banner as the sixth Olympics honor in Miami’s rafters. The Heat began honoring players with gold-medal banners in 2008, starting with Dwyane Wade, followed by tributes for Tim Hardaway, Alonzo Mourning, LeBron James, and Bam Adebayo’s Tokyo win.

But the fans really did not care about the special night after the Heat lost to the Kings.

Fans outraged after the Miami Heat’s poor third quarter, Bam Adebayo under serious fire, despite mega Team USA honor

The Heat’s official page on Instagram shared pictures of Adebayo with his boss Spoelstra and his mother. A wholesome post that would surely have some lovely comments by the fans, right? Instead, the comment section was filled with only criticism. A user commented, “Refs couldn’t save you.” During the fourth quarter, Bam tried to draw a foul by tossing the ball over his head toward the basket while battling for possession. Domantas Sabonis, noticing the move, mocked his flop, and the announcers questioned what the officials saw, and gave the foul. It left viewers wondering about the call’s legitimacy.

Another user chimed in, “Have we ever had a good 3rd quarter??”. The Heat have a third-quarter problem. On Monday, the Miami side blew a 13-point lead at halftime, allowing the third quarter to slip away by 20 points. This marked the second time this season and the 20th in franchise history that they’ve faced such a drastic third-quarter collapse. It’s frustrating to see a solid first-half performance undone so quickly, especially when it’s now become a recurring issue.

One netizen commented, “Can we make our free throws”. The Heat’s inconsistency at the free-throw line continues to hurt them, with their season average sitting at a dismal 72%. In a recent game, they lost by just one point, and crucial missed free throws played a significant role.

Jimmy Butler missed two free throws, one of which could’ve tied the game at 92, Bam Adebayo missed an important free throw after an and-1 opportunity, and even Larsson missed a free throw that would’ve given Miami a 97-96 lead. These missed chances proved costly in the end.

Another user had this to say, “We just gave that game away wow”. If you take away the third quarter from Monday’s defeat, they actually outscored Sac Town by 19 points. But that doesn’t matter, only the final score does. It’s not just about flashes of brilliance; it’s about putting together a full 48 minutes of solid basketball, which has been their biggest issue.

One user said, “Bam got babied by a true center.” Just after recording a career-high 32 points in the last game, Bam was having a good week, maybe a little too good! But Domantas Sabonis had the final say, after the initial foul went Bam’s way, when he grabbed a rebound over the Olympian and sank the game-winning shot with just 0.7 seconds left. Nevertheless, it was a tough blow for Bam Adebayo and the Miami Heat.