The Miami Warmth had the New York Knicks on the point of a devastating loss in Recreation 2 of their second spherical sequence within the 2023 NBA Playoffs. The Warmth had been taking part in with out Jimmy Butler, the injured star who has powered their run as a No. 8 seed all through this postseason. Oh yeah, Miami additionally misplaced Tyler Herro and Victor Oladipo to harm over the past couple weeks. The HEat already had a 1-0 sequence lead, however nobody thought they may pull off a Recreation 2 win with out Butler.

Someway, the Warmth held a one-point lead going into the fourth quarter, and the sport was performed inside a single possession for a lot of the fourth quarter. The Knicks beat Miami, 111-105, in Recreation 2 to even the sequence at 1-1, however New York might not have made its closing run with no little assist from the refs.

With simply over three minutes left, the refs missed the ball hitting the rim on a Warmth shot try. Miami’s Gabe Vincent bought the rebound and put the ball in for what ought to have been two factors, however the refs known as a shot clock violation as a result of they didn’t understand hit the rim. Jalen Brunson hit a floater for New York on the following possession, and it ended up being a 4 level swing.

Watch the play right here:

Credit score the Knicks for closing the sport on a 24-12 run. New York struggled towards a ragtag Miami lineup for a lot of the night time, however they made sufficient free throws down the stretch and dominated the glass to earn a victory.

Nonetheless, the refs lacking that decision is an enormous deal. Everybody watching the sport observed it as quickly as the printed confirmed a replay:

Our former Knicks blogger Seth didn’t appear too involved about it:

If the Warmth win each video games in New York — together with one with out Butler — it could really feel just like the sequence was over. As an alternative, with Butler’s injured ankle nonetheless unsure, we out of the blue have a tied sequence.