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[Saba Sports News] Erik Spoelstra, regarded as one of the NBA’s all-time great coaches, had a rare lapse on Tuesday.
In the Heat’s overtime loss to the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena, Spoelstra made an uncharacteristic mistake.
With Miami leading 121-119 and just 1.8 seconds left in OT, the Pistons executed a perfect play from a timeout, with Cade Cunningham inbounding to Jalen Duren for a game-tying alley-oop.
Frustrated, Spoelstra immediately called a timeout—unfortunately, the Heat had none left, giving the Pistons a technical free throw. Malik Beasley sank it, putting Detroit ahead.
Spoelstra then subbed in Kevin Love for a full-court pass, unaware that his timeout blunder had also caused a turnover, handing the ball back to Detroit.
Without the timeout, the Heat would likely have gone to a second OT, but instead, the Pistons clinched a 123-121 win. Spoelstra took full responsibility afterward.
“I made a serious mental error at the end,” he admitted. “That’s on me. I feel horrible about it. No excuse for that. I’m 17 years in.” This marked the Heat’s fourth loss in their last five games.