Erik Spoelstra is widely considered to be one of the best coaches in NBA history. He did not look the part on Tuesday.
The Miami Heat head coach committed an uncharacteristic error during his team’s overtime loss against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich. The Heat led 121-119 with 1.8 seconds left on the OT clock.
The Pistons ran an excellent play coming out of their timeout. With Cade Cunningham inbounding from the sideline, center Jalen Duran made a quick move toward the basket for a game-tying alley-oop jam.
A frustrated Spoelstra immediately called a timeout. But the Heat no longer had any timeouts left, meaning the Pistons were awarded a technical free throw.
After Malik Beasley sank the go-ahead foul shot, Spoelstra subbed in Kevin Love with the intention of having him hurl a full-court pass. But the veteran coach failed to realize that his timeout blunder also resulted in a turnover, so it was Detroit’s ball.
Had Spoelstra not called timeout, the worst-case scenario for the Heat was likely a second OT. Instead, the Pistons escaped with a 123-121 win. After the game, Spoelstra took full responsibility for the mistake.
“I made a serious mental error at the end,” Spoelstra told reporters “That’s on me. I feel horrible about it. No excuse for that. I’m 17 years in.”
The loss Tuesday was Miami’s fourth over its last five games.
