Spoelstra says Ball should have been ejected after tripping Adebayo
spoelstra-says-ball-should-have-been-ejected-after-tripping-adebayo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra argued Tuesday night that Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball should have been thrown out early in the second quarter after grabbing Bam Adebayo’s left foot and sending the All-Star center crashing to the floor.
The incident occurred with 10:58 remaining in the period of the Eastern Conference play-in game at Spectrum Center. Ball, who had just been blocked on a fadeaway, landed near Adebayo and swiped at the Heat big man’s foot as Adebayo tried to secure the rebound while staying inbounds. Adebayo fell hard, injuring his lower back, and did not return. Charlotte went on to edge Miami 127-126 in overtime.
“I don’t think it’s cute or funny. It’s a dangerous, stupid play,” Spoelstra said after Miami missed the postseason for the first time since 2018-19. “Somebody has to see that and eject him. That doesn’t belong in the game.”
Spoelstra singled out the officiating crew of Zach Zarba, Curtis Blair and Gediminas Petraitis, insisting the trip should have been spotted live. Zarba told a pool reporter the crew could not review the sequence because play continued without a whistle, closing the window for video review once the next possession ended.
Adebayo had six points on 3-for-3 shooting and three rebounds before exiting. Rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. opened the second half in his place. “I’ve never really seen him limp like that,” guard Tyler Herro said. “We all know it wasn’t the right play.”
Ball finished with the decisive driving layup with 4.7 seconds left in overtime and twice issued apologies afterward. “I got hit in the head and didn’t really know where I was,” he explained. “I’ll check on him and make sure he’s OK.”
Miami still led 114-111 late in regulation, but Charlotte’s Coby White drained a three-pointer with 10.8 seconds left to tie it. Herro missed a 28-footer at the horn, and the teams traded leads in the extra period before Ball’s winner. Herro’s three free throws with 8.7 seconds remaining had briefly put the Heat in front 126-125.
Despite the controversy, Spoelstra refused to pin the loss solely on the second-quarter play. “We had plenty of chances,” he said. “It was a great dogfight. They just made the last shot.”
Source: ESPN
