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The Miami Heat are currently on the verge of making the postseason for the first time since 2016. After trading for their former franchise superstar Dwyane Wade on February 8, the Heat made all of the moves necessary to prepare themselves for what's to come in the playoffs.
The Heat are ranked seventh in the Eastern Conference, but they shouldn't get too comfortable in the East's slippery slope for playoff positioning. If the Heat goes on a small losing streak, they could fall out of the postseason picture entirely.
Still, some games may just be out of the Heat's control. Against the Wizards on Mar. 6, the Heat lost, 113-117, after a tough overtime period. The game actually had a controversial ending. According to the Last Two-Minute report issued by the league, Wizards forward Markieff Morris took more than five seconds to inbound the ball.
This violation would have put the ball in the Heat's possession with 12.2 seconds left. Miami coach Erik Spoelstra was visibly frustrated after hearing about the blown inbound call, explaining that the no-call shifted the momentum of the game, per Tom D'Angelo of Heat Zone.
“It’s just disappointing that it’s that far off,” Spoelstra said. “If it was five and a tenth of a second, OK, that’s human error. But it was over a full second off. That’s disappointing. The explanation after the fact is disappointing. “That doesn’t mean we were going to win the game. That didn’t decide the game, but there were a couple of big plays down the stretch that could have changed certainly the momentum and complexion of the game.”
Understandably, Spoelstra has every right to be upset. A blatant error made the by officials essentially cost the Heat the game. For a team that needs to get every win they can, the Heat simply can't afford to lose games like this. Though, the story now is whether the league will fine Spoelstra for publicly criticizing the league officials.
