Erik Spoelstra Says Max Strus’ Overturned 3 In-Game 7 A ‘Case Study’ For The NBA!

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Erik Spoelstra Says Max Strus' Overturned 3 In-Game 7 A 'Case Study' For The NBA

A controversial call in the third quarter of Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals might serve as a “case study” for future NBA replay reviews, according to Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra and his staff, after their “heartbreaking” loss to the Boston Celtics.

Max Strus’ Overturned 3 In-Game 7 Will Be An NBA ‘Case Study,’ Says Erik Spoelstra!

Heat player Max Strus sank a deep 3-pointer with 11:04 left in the third quarter, reducing Boston’s halftime advantage to 56-54 after making a 3-pointer from deep inside the lane from a long distance.

Replay reviewers in Secaucus, New Jersey, reversed the ruling after the Celtics had gone on their run for many minutes.

Afterward, Spoelstra Admitted He Was In “Shock” At The Loss Of Points

At the time, Erik Spoelstra said he had not seen a replay showing Strus’ foot just brushing the out-of-bounds line. Being three, four, or five minutes into the game when it occurred affects your strategy. We were gaining some traction.

The only reason for a 7- or 8-point game turning into a 13-point game is that it has been sent back to the league administration. You believe that if anything like that occurs, you should be able to react quickly and effectively.”

Amidst the annoyance of Spoelstra’s reversal, he repeatedly stated that this was not a factor in his team losing. Because we couldn’t obtain the ball, a large portion of the game was controlled by Boston.

Despite our best efforts, we were unable to secure the victory. We were unable to generate enough chances throughout the game. It seemed like we were fighting back from an eight-to-ten-point lead for most of the game.

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Coach Erik Spoelstra Of The Miami Heat Says Max Strus’ 3 In-Game 7 Was Overturned!

This play will come up in future league meetings under Spoelstra’s tutelage. In his opinion, “their squad would become the cautionary tale for it.” Everything can return to normal, as long as I don’t mind it. It didn’t matter if it had been only 10 minutes since the last foul or break; they’d notice it again the next time.

It was a showdown between two fierce rivals, and they decided to give it a go in the end. We competed to the best of our abilities, even though it seemed the game was already decided. 

Despite Spoelstra’s best efforts, the coach is well aware that the call — and the resulting change in momentum — changed the way his team felt during and after Strus’ shot, a shot that will go down in history as a turnover because of Strus’ stepping out of bounds.

Conclusion

Even though we were “grinding and getting some momentum,” Spoelstra remarked that “it was so odd for us to be grinding and then have some momentum and then it was like, oh, by the way, take away those three without reason.” So there you have it, the human side of things, and that’s not the side of it that’s whining. No one knows whether that would have made a difference.

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