While Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is considered one of the best in the league, he had a rare gaffe that cost his team Tuesday in Detroit. The Heat had a two-point lead with 1.8 seconds left in overtime, but they ended up losing that NBA Cup game to the Pistons 123-121 after a collapse in the final moments.
Initially, the stretch started with the Pistons having possession of the ball on an inbounds with a chance to tie the game. The Pistons were successful, getting a lob to Jalen Duren that resulted in a 121-121 tie with 1.1 seconds left. That‘s when Spoelstra made the huge mistake, calling a timeout as he walked onto the court like normal. But the Heat didn’t have any timeouts remaining.
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As a result, the Heat were assessed a technical foul. Malik Beasley made the ensuing free throw to put the Pistons up 122-121. Afterwards, the Pistons also got possession of the ball. The Heat fouled one last time, with 0.1 second left on the clock. Beasley ended up splitting the free throws this time, but the mistake was done as the game was all but over.
“I just made a serious mental error there at the end,” Spoelstra told reporters after the game. “That‘s on me. I feel horrible about it. There‘s really no excuse for that. I‘m 17 years in. When we talked about it in the huddle, I knew we didn’t have anything. I just got emotional and reactive on that, and I just made a horrendous mistake.”
Spoelstra‘s mistake not only cost the Heat, but it’s rare to see one of the best in the game make such a crucial mistake. At the NBA level, calling a timeout when out of them is even rarer as coaches often know the timeout situation. Infamously, Chris Webber calling for a timeout for Michigan while being out of them in the 1993 NCAA national championship game sticks out as the prime example of this happening.
The Heat looked like they were going to stun the Pistons on Tuesday initially. They were down by double-digits in the fourth quarter, including a nine-point deficit with less than two minutes to play. But Tyler Herro knocked in three straight 3-pointers to tie the game and eventually force overtime. As evidenced late, the Heat looked like they were going to beat the Pistons to escape with a much-needed victory. But instead, it was disappointment for the Heat.
Miami dropped to 4-6 after the loss as it‘s had a rocky start to the season. Jimmy Butler also missed his second straight game due to an ankle injury. The Heat are looking to get back to being competitive in the East after multiple deep playoff runs in past years, but they’ve had a slow start to the season.
