Game 1 of the NBA Finals went about as poorly as you can imagine for the Miami Heat, as they were thoroughly dominated and their top three players – Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic – all suffered injuries in the 116-98 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Dragic’s injury was the most serious, but despite suffering a torn left plantar fascia, Miami has not ruled him out for the series, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra spoke about Dragic’s injury after the game but said it was too early to tell if he would be available for the remaining games.
“I don’t know right now. I know he’s as tough as anybody and it’s the Finals, but I don’t have an update where he is on his foot right now,” Spoelstra said.
Losing Dragic would have been a devastating blow for a team that already appears to be on the ropes just one game into the series. Dragic has been an essential piece for Miami throughout these playoffs, as he has been one of the team’s top scoring options alongside Butler, Adebayo and Tyler Herro.
Fortunately for Miami, the other two injuries do not appear to be as serious. Adebayo suffered a shoulder sprain in the third quarter and left the game but ESPN’s Malika Andrews tweeted that the X-rays came back negative for a fracture. When asked if Adebayo would be ready for Game 2, Spoelstra said the team would “evaluate him tomorrow and see where we are.”
Meanwhile, Butler was able to stay in the game and said even though he was a “bit sore,” he expected to be okay to play moving forward.
