There is going to be a missed call in just about every basketball game. It’s four quarters of fast-paced action, and one wrong angle referees have on a play, which is not their fault on certain occasions, one would-be foul or violation is likely to be left uncalled or incorrectly whistled.
Having said that, you know things are bad when the Miami Heat’s usually cool, calm, and collected head coach Erik Spoelstra goes berserk… in the first period!
Reddit user fishyfoot shared the clip on the NBA subreddit:
Here's how the crazy sequence went: Heat guard Dwyane Wade got free on the low-post when defender TJ McConnell gambled and failed for a steal. Wade then turned around for an easy one-handed bank shot, where he was met by Sixers big man, Joel Embiid, who partially had his hand stuck on the net as he tried to block the attempt. There's no debate needed, though. The ball was about to go down and it was clear goaltend.
The angle of the referees might have been why it got overlooked, but what turned it into “poor officiating” – as Heat commentator Tony Fiorentino had described it – was the technical foul on the understandably frustrated Erik Spoelstra.
Lauren Holtkamp, the official who gave the tech, should've at least understood that they probably missed a call badly to warrant such a reaction. No one's going to be that livid for no reason, especially Spo.
It may be safe to assume that it will be an added moment to Holtkamp's fair share of questionable calls in the past couple of seasons.
In the end, though, the Heat are probably just happy the game concluded with them earning a win. The 36-year-old Wade played hero for the team, as he turned back the clock and scored a game-high 27 points (15 in the final frame), while also hitting the go-ahead jumper with just 5.9 seconds left. Miami won, 102-101 for their second-straight victory.
The Heat will host the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday.
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