The Miami Heat won Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night. The score was 111–108 against the Denver Nuggets. They finished the game with 36 points. Some individuals, though, believe that the referees provided assistance to the Heat. They believe that two poor decisions by the officials cost the Heat 5 points. The game was decided by 3 points. Here are the two bad calls:
1. Jimmy Butler’s Pass
The third quarter saw one of the first poor calls. The Heat were trailing by six points at the time. Then, Jimmy Butler drove to the end of the court and passed the ball to Gabe Vincent. Vincent subsequently hit a 3-pointer as a result. Replays revealed that Butler left the court prior to passing the ball, though. Therefore, that should have stopped the play and given the ball to the Nuggets. Unfortunately, the referees did not see it and the Heat got 3 points they should not have.
2. Bam Adebayo’s Block
Another bad call occurred with 4:36 left in the game. By then, the Nuggets were winning by 1 point. Next, Jamal Murray tried to make a shot over Bam Adebayo. However, Adebayo blocked the shot. Moreover, the referees said it was a good block and the Heat got the ball. But, replays showed that Adebayo’s block was not good. The ball was going down when he touched it. Goaltending should have given the Nuggets 2 points and let them keep the lead.
3. What People Said
The two bad calls made many people angry and sad on social media. They said that the referees helped the Heat and hurt the Nuggets. Some of the things they said are:
- “That was a very bad missed goaltending call. It was very wrong to miss it in a game like this.” – John Hollinger, a basketball writer
- “The Heat got 3 points when Butler stepped out of bounds. They got 2 points when Adebayo goaltended. The Nuggets did not get an offensive foul on Jokic that they should have. The Heat got two balls that went out of bounds off them. That is a lot for a game that was decided by 3 points.” – Domenic, a Twitter user
- “The referees gave 3 free points to Miami when Butler passed it out of bounds.” – Joel Rush, another basketball writer
- “The referees missed a goaltend that changed Game 2 for Nuggets-Heat” – MSN headline
4. How It Changed The Series
The two poor decisions might have altered who won Game 2 and possibly the entire series. If they had prevailed in Game 2, the Nuggets would have taken a 2-0 series lead. Instead, with a 1-1 tie in the series, the Heat are in the lead. Miami hosts the following two contests. The Heat excel at their home venues. This season, no other team has won more games at home than they have. The Nuggets’ road performance is poor. This season, they have suffered more road defeats than victories. The Nuggets will have to play better and harder in Game 3 to win in Miami. The Heat will try to keep winning and take control of the series. Game 3 is on Tuesday night at 9 p.m.
5. The Heat’s Home Games
Game 2 was won by the Heat, giving them the upper hand. Miami hosts the following two contests. The Heat performs admirably at home. They have more victories at home this year than any other team. The Heat have also won 13 playoff games. That is the most by a team that wasn’t predicted to advance to the championship game. The Heat will try to use their home fans and their hard work to win more games.
6. The Nuggets’ Road Games
The Nuggets must play better away from home. They are not very good on the road this season. On the road, they’ve lost more games than they’ve won. Additionally, they have dropped four out of their previous five playoff road games. In the previous round, they suffered two lopsided losses to the Suns. The Nuggets will have to play harder and smarter in Game 3 to win in Miami.
Conclusion
Finally, Game 2 of the NBA Finals featured a thrilling game between the Heat and the Nuggets. The Heat overcame a big deficit to defeat the Pacers by three points. However, some believe that by making two incorrect calls, the referees actually aided the Heat. The Heat shouldn’t have received 5 points from the bad calls, but they did. The game and series may have changed as a result of the poor calls. Miami will host the next two games of the series, which is currently tied at 1-1. On Tuesday night, the Heat and the Nuggets will compete to win Game 3. Some people have different predictions for Game 3. It will be another interesting game to watch.
