It was a wild one in Washington on Friday.
The Miami Heat were extremely shorthanded, playing without Dwyane Wade, Luol Deng and Mario Chalmers, who were all out due to injury. Then Goran Dragic left in the third quarter with a back injury and would not return, further depleting the available talent on the roster.
The guys who were left managed to rally from a deficit of 35 points, and the game was within a single possession, with the Heat trailing by just two with the ball and 1.6 seconds left.
Then, this happened.
Somewhat inexplicably, Beasley put the ball on the floor rather than attempting a catch-and-shoot, and time expired before he could get a shot off.
Erik Spoelstra could only laugh in disbelief, and though the players consoled him afterward, Beasley knew that his error was critical.
From Joe Goodman of the Miami Herald:Beasley confirmed after the game that he knew how much time was on the clock after the Heat came out of its timeout with a chance to win the game.
“That was just lack of experience,” said Beasley, who consulted with Wade after the game about the play. “I was just so anxious to get the last shot and do great for my team that I just had a brain cramp. That was my fault.”
To be fair, the Heat wouldn’t have had a chance at tying it at the buzzer if not for Beasley’s 13 fourth quarter points. But the mental aspect of the game continues to elude him, and the timing wasn’t great, as his current 10-day contract with the team is set to expire on Saturday.
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