Broadcaster suffers NBA Playoff debut nightmare as LaMelo Ball ‘shenanigans’ leave Miami fuming

The NBA Play-In Tournament is never short of drama.

For Amazon Prime Video, though, they had hoped their drama would come on the court of their coverage and not via technical difficulties.

Amazon Prime Video

But, that was exactly what happened.

With the game between the No. 9 Charlotte Hornets and No. 10 Miami Heat nicely poised in overtime to decide who would progress and who would be eliminated, disaster struck for the streaming provider.

With just 48 seconds of overtime left in their first NBA playoff game, and with the Hornets leading 123-120, the broadcast feed suddenly cut out.

Viewers were then shown a screen which read “Technical Difficulties” with some filler music, with the delay lasting for over a minute.

This had fans riled, including that of two-time NBA champion with the Heat LeBron James, who took to X to post: Tell me the game didn’t just cut off?!!? Am I trippin?? WTH

By the time the broadcast got back online, the Hornets’ lead had stretched to five points thanks to a LaMelo Ball layup.

Fortunately for fans, the drama wasn’t all over as Heat guard Tyler Herro hit a clutch three-pointer to cut the lead to just two before Miami stole the ball, with Herro getting fouled by Ball on the three-point attempt.

Herro nailed all three free throws to give Miami the lead, but Ball was the one who became the hero.

After the 24-year-old made a lay-in with just 4.7 seconds left on the clock to restore the Hornets’ lead, Miles Bridges blocked Davion Mitchell’s own layup attempt down the other end of the floor to call game for the Hornets.

Coach Spoelstra calls out Ball for controversial play

The result may have been different for Miami if Bam Adebayo was on the floor.

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Getty

But the Heat star, who made NBA history earlier on in the season when he scored 83 points against the Washington Wizards, wound up playing just 11 minutes of the contest against the Hornets after suffering a lower back injury.

Adebayo’s injury came from a controversial play involving Ball, in which the Hornets guard appeared to grab the Heat big’s ankle on his way out of bounds which saw him fall backwards and appear to land on his tailbone.

Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra was fired up after the game about that specific play, and claimed that Ball should have been ejected from the contest.

“I don’t think it’s cute. I don’t think it’s funny. I think it’s a stupid play. It’s a dangerous play. Obviously our best player was out,” Spoelstra said postgame.

“I’m not making it an excuse. The Hornets played great and they made those plays down the stretch. We had opportunities to win. It’s just a shame.

“He should be penalized for that. I don’t think that belongs in the game, tripping guys. Shenanigans. … Somebody has got to see that. He should have been thrown out of the game for that. There’s no place in the game for that.”

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Ball did come out himself and issue an apology to his opponent, where he said: “I apologize on that one.

“I got hit in the head [on the play] and didn’t really know where I was. But I’m going to check on him, see if he’s OK and everything.”

The Heat have missed the playoffs for the first time since 2019, and for only the fourth time in the last 20 years.

For the fiesty Hornets, they will now face the loser of the contest between the Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic for the chance to go through to the playoffs as the eighth seed, where Cade Cunningham and the No. 1 seeded Detroit Pistons await.

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