Without four starters (Adebayo, Lowry, Herro and Martin) and with Dedmon sent off during the game, the Heat’s challenge to the Thunder – a rematch of the 2012 NBA Finals – immediately appeared complicated. But the teams of Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra always find a way to stand up against the wall and Jimmy Butler et al. vs. OKC did. How? By establishing the sets new NBA record for most free throws made without a missperforming in a perfect 40/40 which beats the previous record held by Utah Jazzable to close with 39/39 on Dec. 7, 1982 vs. Portland. The “cover” goes to Jimmy Butlernot only for his very personal 23/23 with the stopwatch stopped (that equals second place held by Dominique Wilkins in league history – Harden e Nowitzki hold the record without errors, at 24) but also because the last free throw on target by the Heat’s No. 22 is the one who arrives at the conclusion of an action with foul-and-basket and in fact marks the victory of Miamigiving the hosts the final 112-111.
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“A normal Tuesday night for us,” coach Spoelstra joked, in commenting on the race. “These are the situations where we feel most alive, when our competitive spirit is at its peak. This is the team we know, the one I love”. “I’m proud of my teammates – Butler echoed him – because we always find a way to win”. Also setting an NBA record.
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