Erik Spoelstra’s timeout blunder brings back bad memories for Jalen Rose

On By Littum

Erik Spoelstra is one of the most respected and highest paid head coaches in the NBA, with a reputation for disciplined play and getting the most out of his players for more than a decade. Even he will make some bad mistakes.

He happened to earn a season out of them in a span of two seconds on Tuesday, one of which brought back bad memories for spectator Jalen Rose.

A botched layup gave Spoelstra’s Miami Heat a lead against the Detroit Pistons with just 1.8 seconds left in overtime. With a 121-119 lead after a Detroit timeout, trouble began as the Heat nearly came out of the break with six men on the floor.

PHOENIX, ARIZONA - NOVEMBER 6: Head coach Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat looks on during the game against the Phoenix Suns at the Footprint Center on November 6, 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns defeated the Heat 115-112. NOTICE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that by downloading and or using this photograph, User consents to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)PHOENIX, ARIZONA - NOVEMBER 6: Head coach Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat looks on during the game against the Phoenix Suns at the Footprint Center on November 6, 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns defeated the Heat 115-112. NOTICE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that by downloading and or using this photograph, User consents to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)

Erik Spoelstra would like to replay the last two seconds of overtime, please. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)

Kel’el Ware got off the floor in time, but the confusion presaged Miami getting burned on the Pistons’ ATO play, which ended with a Jalen Duren alley-oop that tied the game. Spoelstra was so frustrated that he immediately called timeout.

The problem was, Spoelstra had no timeouts left.

That gave the Heat a technical foul that sent Malik Beasley to the free throw line. He made the shot to bring the Pistons up by one point with 1.1 seconds left.

It’s unclear if it was intentional or not, but the camera immediately cutting to Rose, a former NBA player and ESPN personality, was incredible work. Rose was one of the stars of the “Fab Five” Michigan team that lost the 1993 NCAA championship to UNC because Chris Webber infamously called a timeout he didn’t have.

Spoelstra fully owned the mistake after the game, call it a terrible mistake:

“I just made a serious mental mistake there at the end. It’s on me. I feel terrible about it. There’s really no excuse for that. I’m 17 years in. We had talked about it in a pinch. I knew that we did I don’t have anything I just got emotional and reactive about it and I just made a terrible mistake.

“You don’t want it to come down to a mental error like that … It deserved to go double OT and not have anybody get in the way of that. Unfortunately, even as a veteran coach, I got in the way of .”

Indeed, that was not the end of Spoelstra’s mistakes. After the timeout blunder, he proceeded to sub in outlet pass maestro Kevin Love for a full-court pass, unable to advance the ball due to his lack of timeouts. Unfortunately, because it was a technical foul, it was still the Pistons’ ball.

The end result was a foul on Beasley, who made another free throw, and an embarrassing loss to open NBA Cup play.

The finish erased a huge fourth quarter for the Heat, who trailed by 14 at one point in the frame and went on a 9-0 run at the end of regulation to send the game to overtime. It was a typical gritty Heat win until it became an inexplicably sloppy Heat loss.