Spoelstra: Strus' nullified three will be 'case study' for NBA

Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra predicts the NBA will reassess its review process following Max Strus' controversially rescinded 3-pointer during their Game 7 loss to the Boston Celtics.

"I'm sure they will look at that, and we'll probably be the case study for it," Spoelstra said Sunday after the 100-96 defeat, courtesy of ESPN's Nick Friedell. "I'm OK if it happens the way it used to. They would look at it at the next foul or break and look at it and notice it, but it was probably 10 minutes of real time - somebody check on that.

"I'm not crying or whining. Come on, we got beat. This was two competitive teams going at it. We had a crack at it at the end. Even as uneven as the game seemed, we had a crack at it. Our guys are never going to, like, not think we have a chance at it."

With just over 11 minutes to play in the third quarter, Strus connected on a three that brought the Heat to within two points of Boston. At the time, Miami strung together a 15-6 run to nearly erase a 16-point deficit, and none of the Celtics or head coach Ime Udoka appeared to take issue with Strus' footing.

However, minutes later and without a challenge from Boston, the NBA's replay center in Secaucus, New Jersey, ruled out Strus' 3-pointer entirely. Multiple angles of the shot sparked debate about whether Strus stepped out of bounds, making the delayed decision even tougher to stomach for Miami.

When the trey was taken off the board, Boston quickly pushed its lead back to 13. The Heat clawed back but ultimately never led in the contest as the Celtics booked a showdown against the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.

"That was so unusual for us to be grinding and then start to get some momentum, and then it was like, oh, hey, by the way, take away that three, with no explanation," Spoelstra said.

"That's the human side of it. That's not the complaining side of it. Who knows if that would have changed anything, anyway."