Imagine playing some of the best basketball you have ever played at the top level, only to get overlooked because of a mistake that you did not even commit. Tyler Herro was just one point away from his career-high score of 41 points from 2022! He finished tonight with an impressive shooting showcase, drilling 6 three-pointers in the fourth quarter, the final trey tying the game at 111 with just 32 seconds remaining. This incredible effort erased an 11-point deficit that stood with a little over five minutes to go.

Before the buzzer, Tyler Herro tried a tough jumper but lost his balance, sending the game into overtime. Quite the dramatic sequence, don’t you think? This isn’t even half of it. But what followed next was one of the most embarrassing things that could happen.

With just one second left in OT, Jalen Duren powered past Bam Adebayo to throw down a dunk, tying the game at 121 after a perfect in-bounds pass from Cade Cunningham. But things took a turn when Erik Spoelstra called a timeout.

The only problem? The Miami Heat did not have one left.

Let’s go back a bit. The Heat found themselves in a chaotic final possession, with six players on the floor and barely managing to get one off in time. The result was a lob dunk that allowed the Detroit Pistons to tie the game. In response, Coach Erik Spoelstra called a timeout—only to realize it was one he didn’t have. The officials assessed a technical foul on the Heat, and Malik Beasley made the ensuing free throw, putting the Pistons ahead. Beasley then sealed the win by hitting one of two free throws!

It was a tough, disheartening sequence for Miami in the closing moments. You already know fans are fuming. So let’s jump right in.

A blunder by Erik Spoelstra that will haunt the Heat fans forever

One user tweeted “What a shame”. Indeed, a shame. Spoelstra has been coaching the Heat since 2008. How can he make a mistake like that when the stakes are so high? When your team already has a 4-5 record? Makes him look really amateur. For this to happen at the elite level, something must have gone wrong somewhere.

Another netizen was spellbound by what had happened, they tweeted, “As unbelievable as it sounds, IT HAPPENED“. The whole sequence that followed was a rollercoaster ride. Six guys on the floor to a timeout call which they didn’t have?

As Martin Scorsese would signal ‘Absolute Cinema‘. And the Pistons would’ve been happy to not be the ones having six guys on the floor this time. Yeah, they did this in their season opener… Bickerstaff, after his team was penalized with a tech, could be heard pleading with the refs that one of his men “was trying to leave the floor.” However, the officials were not having any of it.

But tonight’s error has the Miami side’s fans raging. One user was very angry rightfully so and tweeted “Bro SPO LITERALLY JUST LOST YS THE GAME… He had money on this game“. If I were a Heat fan and this had happened, even I wouldn’t be able to spell ‘us’ correctly with all the rage building. As good as Spoelstra has been for the Heat, it sure did look like they ‘snatched defeat from the jaws of victory’ this time! And also because for an illustrious 17-year-long career as a coach, this mistake seems unjustifiable.

But Spoelstra being the professional coach that he is accepted his mistake. He blamed himself for a “horrendous mistake” after calling a timeout that they didn’t have. “I made just a serious mental error there at the end,” Spoelstra said speaking to the media after the match, “That’s on me. I feel horrible about it.” he added. Looks like there will be no love lost between the franchise and their long time coach.

“You never know what will happen in the NBA Cup!” tweeted another user. Looks like Adam Silver’s plan is working. The regular season games were boring with the league’s viewership plummeting. Now the NBA Cup has spiced things up. If things like these keep happening in the Cup, the television ratings will shoot through the roof!

Amidst all the rage, there’s always time for humor. One netizen tweeted, “It’s spover“. Combining Spoelstra with over- was it witty? Maybe. Funny? What do you think? Give us your best wordplay, in case you don’t want to talk about the game below.