Sometimes I think the NBA’s product could be improved if the end of games didn’t often devolve into un-fun free-throw exhibitions. I don’t have any idea how I would go about fixing this problem, and neither does anyone else (because if they did, we wouldn’t be in this situation), but it’s not as basketbally as the rest of the game usually is. Why should games be partially decided by people making or not making uncontested flat-footed 15-foot jumpshots? If you’re too far behind and there’s not enough time to come back, it makes sense that you should just always lose straight up instead of maintaining hope by hacking away at whatever opposing player ends up with the ball.
So there. That’s my opinion on the matter. You didn’t ask for it, but I offered it anyway, because I’m such an egomaniac that I assume my opinion is more important than other people’s even though that’s not really the case.
In this game, boring free-throws were what saved the Bucks and allowed them to extend the game in both regulation and overtime. Doesn’t mean I have to like it. I wasn’t even watching the end of this one, to be honest, because I turned it off in frustration after Kelly Olynyk made one of his threes. From what I can tell, it looks like the Heat, including Bam Adebayo the star of this particular video, had some serious problems at the line. Things would’ve been a lot easier if they just hit one or two more, and I have sympathy for them. They pretty much won this one fair and square in regulation.
Adebayo himself missed a pair after his devastating block on what looked to be an easy Eric Bledsoe layup. Luckily the Heat won so that his block can be remembered fondly and his choke at the line not remembered at all. I’m super glad I wasn’t watching the game at this point because I would’ve been SO MAD at Bledsoe for slowing up so much before getting totally rejected.
Also, probs to Adebayo for setting a career-high in assists. Only a few of the assists were really nice dimes, most of them were just random passes to a guy who happened to take and make a shot, but still. He almost got a frickin’ triple-double.