If the Miami Heat had prevailed over the defending-champion Bucks on Wednesday night, it would have been another shiny feather in the team’s cap. With just over seven minutes remaining in the contest, things looked to be heading that way, too.
Gabe Vincent had just knocked down a three-point shot to give Miami a 14-point lead at 113-99; a victory seemed almost inevitable. At that point, though, pandemonium ensued.
The Bucks went on a wild, 21-6 run and Milwaukee point-man Jrue Holiday scored a driving layup off the glass and over a backpedaling Vincent to give his squad the lead and the win, 120-119.
As disappointing as that was, though, the fact that a missed call may have been what allowed it to happen was no less a gut punch for Heat. In particular, head coach Erik Spoelstra was livid over the turn of events.
Coach Spo Sounds off
With the Heat clinging to a one-point lead and 13.5 seconds left to play, Vincent tried to lob an inbound pass over the Heat defense and into the (usually) capable hands of Jimmy Butler. However, as he leaped back to possess it, Giannis Antetokounmpo collided with him mid-air, knocking the Heat star to the hardwood.
Instead of calling a foul on the Greek Freak, the officials gave the Bucks a jump ball as he and Holiday quickly covered Butler. And Milwaukee went on to win the tip, scoring the game-winner on the ensuing possession.
Spoelstra was clearly irate on the sidelines over no foul being called on the play and he was still seething during his postgame presser.
“I’m not gonna make a buffoon out of myself. At the end of the day, nobody cares,” he said of the non-call. “I’m not gonna go on a big rant about officiating. All that…I’m just shocked. I’m shocked that that wasn’t a foul on Jimmy as we’re trying to inbound.”
Spoelstra conceded that the Heat had multiple chances to put the game away during the game’s waning moments. Still, he couldn’t shake how the officials interpreted what had occurred with Butler.
“We certainly had some other opportunities to be able to close out the game, particularly when we were up four. That’s just the way it goes,” the coach said. “I have not looked at that. I just can’t imagine, from my vantage point, how that wasn’t a foul. And then it turned into a jump ball.”
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Herro’s Big Night is for Naught
While this game will probably be remembered for the epic collapse, the no-call and Holiday’s game-winner, Tyler Herro was next-level great for about 34 and a half of his 35 minutes on the court.
The Sixth Man of the Year favorite scored a game-high 30 points on 11-of-21 shooting (with six threes) and added seven boards and five dimes. Meanwhile, the Heat outscored the Bucks by eight points when he was on the court.
However, Herro committed some costly turnovers down the stretch. Most notably, his lazy pass attempt with just under 20 seconds remaining led directly to a Khris Middleton triple, which set the stage for the Bucks’ win.
After the game, he took responsibility for the miscues, saying, “Going down to the last couple minutes there, I had two crucial turnovers. That’s on me, and I can’t let it happen again.”
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Heat’s Erik Spoelstra Seethes: ‘I’m Not Going to Make a Buffoon of Myself’