Heat's Tyler Herro faces backlash over decision late in loss to Bulls
Miami Heat star Tyler Herro tried to be just that against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night – a hero.
However, his efforts came up short, and he faced the wrath of social media.
The Heat were down five points in the final minute of the game against the Bulls. Herro stole the ball away from Bulls point guard Coby White and rather than go for the wide-open lay-up to cut the deficit to three points with the shot clock on their side, Herro pulled up for a 3-pointer.
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The ball spun around the rim and out. Chicago won the game, 119-111.
The Miami guard scored 30 points, and the team’s loss put them in the 10th spot in the playoffs – at the edge of the play-in tournament. The Bulls’ win put them ahead of the Heat.
"I was feeling that shot," Herro said. "It's as simple as that. It's the shot I was feeling. Looking back on it now, obviously, after missing the shot, I should have laid the ball up."
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Herro faced criticism on social media.
Heat center Bam Adebayo defended Herro after the game.
"That kid has made a lot of tough buckets in his career," Adebayo said. "You tip your hat off when he shoots something like that. That's a killer mentality. To me, that's one of the best looks he got all night so you live with that. A hundred percent y'all wouldn't be talking about that if he made it."
Miami is 36-44 on the year. Chicago improved to 37-43. Each team has two games left in their regular seasons.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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