Miami Heat's Erik Spoelstra Mental Error Spoils Big Night For Tyler Herro

Miguel Mike Medina | Nov 13, 2024

Nov 10, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra looks on against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second half at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images / Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra might want to use Tuesday’s game against the Detroit Pistons as an amnesia game.

Spoelstra called a timeout when the team had none, which is a technical foul. The Pistons took advantage by making two free throw to win 123-121.

It’s the ultimate flip of a script. Spoelstra went from designing a genius play against the Minnesota Timberwolves to making a mental error against the Pistons. 

Tyler Herro had the most outstanding performance of the season, and the game's ending left a bitter taste in everyone’s mouths. 

Herro finished 40 points, eight assists, four steals, and 10 threes in a single game. 

An emotional Spoelstra spoke after the game about Herro’s performance. 

“Tyler was just sensational,” Spoelstra said. “You don’t want it to come down to a mental error like that. You just would have liked to see this go double overtime. That’s the kind of game it felt like to deserve to go double overtime and not have somebody get in the way of that, and unfortunately, you know, even as a veteran coach, I got in the way of that.“ 

It's unusual for Spoelstra to make a blunder like that, especially in his 17th year as a coach. But mistakes can happen to anyone, whether you’re an experienced or inexperienced coach. 

The Heat have Thursday off. On Friday night, the Heat are going to face the Indiana Pacers in the Heat’s second game of the in-season tournament. 

Miguel Mike Medina is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com

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