MIAMI — As the Miami Heat digest a “heartbreaking” 100-96 loss To the Boston Celtics Erik Spoelstra and his team believe that Game 7 of Eastern Conference finals will feature a momentum-changing, overturned call. This will serve as a “case study” to the NBA for future replay reviews.
The call was made with 11:04 left in the third quarter. Heat guard Max Strus He hit a 3-pointer from deep in the corner to cut the Celtics’ lead of 17 points earlier in the half. It was 56-54.
After several minutes’ of game action during which time the Celtics put together a second run, the call was overturned at Secaucus, New Jersey by the NBA replay center.
Spoelstra admitted that he was shocked when the points were removed from his board.
Spoelstra said that he didn’t see the replay of the call immediately. It appeared to show Strus’ feet touching the line out-of-bounds.
Spoelstra said, “It was shock.” Spoelstra stated, “It was shock,” and added, “I was asking.” [assistant coach] [Chris Quinn] It’s not surprising. It does make a difference in how you play. We were beginning to gain some momentum. It feels like it’s seven, eight, or even thirteen points. Then you look up to see that it’s 13 points. There’s no explanation other than the fact that it’s returned to the league offices. It feels like it should happen right away and you can adjust accordingly.
Spoelstra repeatedly stated that despite his frustration at the timing of the overturn Spoelstra was not responsible for the Heat’s loss.
He stated, “Look! That’s not why you lost.” We still had many opportunities. We were just unable to take over the game. Boston was a big part of this. We never gave up and kept trying, even though it was difficult. The game was too short. We felt like we were constantly grinding away at an 8-to-10 point deficit for most of the game.
Spoelstra believes that the play in question can be discussed at future league meetings.
Spoelstra said, “I’m certain they will look into that, and it’ll probably become the case study for them,”. It doesn’t matter if it happens as it did before. They would glance at it at the next foul/break and notice it. But it was probably only 10 minutes of real-time — someone check that.
“I am not crying or whining. Let’s not be discouraged. It was two teams competing for the title. It was a fun game. We still had a shot at it, no matter how difficult the game was. Our guys will never, ever, think that we have a chance.
Spoelstra tried to ignore his frustration, but he knows that the call and the momentum shift changed the way his group felt in the minutes following Strus’ shot. A shot that will forever be recorded in the box score of a turnover when Strus steps out of bounds.
Spoelstra explained that it was unusual for us not to grind and then gain momentum. Then it was like “Oh, hey, by-the-way, take away the 3 without explanation”. “That’s just the human side. It’s not all bad. We don’t know if this would have changed anything.
Spoelstra made the point that the Heat had a chance to win the game in its final seconds even though they were down 7 points with less than a minute remaining. Heat star After several clutch shots and questionable decisions made by the Celtics. Jimmy Butler With the Heat trailing 98 to 96, he raced down the floor and launched a 3-pointer with 17 seconds left that would have given Heat the lead and potentially a win.
It wasn’t meant, as Butler’s shot missed the rim. The Celtics took the rebound and iced it.
Spoelstra stated that he was happy with Butler’s decision after the event was over.
Spoelstra stated, “I thought it’d have been an amazing storyline for Jimmy pull up to hit that 3.” Jimmy is a wonderful person. It was the perfect look. I was just thinking as it was leaving his hands, that it was going to fall.
“It was a clean, crisp look that is definitely better than any we could have created. Boston deserves my compliments.
Butler finished Game 7 with 35 points, and played the entire game. He was not hesitant about the shot.
Butler stated that “my thought process was to go for the win.” “Which was exactly what I did. Missed a shot. I am taking the shot. The shot that I took was well received by my colleagues. So, I live with it.”
After leading the Heat’s offense through the series, Butler was very hard on himself. He had just finished what many consider the greatest series of his career.
Butler declared, “Not enough.” “I didn’t do my job. Stats are meaningless, as I’ve said over and over. In this series, the Boston Celtics accomplished what they set out to do. I learned that I must be better and that I will be even better.
“Get back to lab and work with these guys this summer. We’ll be better than ever.”
Butler is confident that the Heat will be able to surpass the threshold to reach the Finals again next season.
Butler stated that he had found a way of being consistent. “I thought we had enough. I believe we have enough. It’s frustrating because you never know who will be on the roster in any given year. I am grateful that I was able to play with the men I had to. It’s been the same every year in this league.
“We had enough. We will have enough next year and we will be back in the exact same situation. And we’re going get it done.