ASK IRA: Should Herro’s late heroics against the Hornets not go overlooked as Heat consider next steps?

Q: Tyler Herro showed that when healthy he is big time. I would hate to see him traded. The Heat should build the team around Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and Kel’el Ware. I can’t see the Heat giving up Herro and Ware plus multiple draft choices for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Giannis is great, but the Heat would have nothing left to complement Giannis with his huge salary. – Joel, Plantation.

A: Actually, the Heat would have enough even if Tyler Herro and Kel’el Ware were dealt in a package plus picks for Giannis Antetokounmpo, still able to field a lineup of Giannis, Bam Adebayo, Andrew Wiggins (if he opts in), Norman Powell (if re-signed) and Davion Mitchell. And with a bench that still likely would include either Jaime Jaquez Jr. or Pelle Larsson and Kasparas Jakucionis. But to your first point, we should not allow Tuesday night’s finish in Charlotte to overshadow what Tyler accomplished at the end of overtime, scoring six points in the final 23.5 seconds of the extra period. If the Heat had held on, if LaMelo Ball had not scored at the end, Tyler’s sequence would have gone down as one of the most dramatic in the franchise’s 38 seasons.

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Q: Ira, not a big fan of Jaime Jaquez’s shot selection in Charlotte, but the man had eight assists in the postseason game, with only one turnover. A nice way to end it. – Samson.

A: Again, if this had been victory instead of defeat, the postgame perspective would have been of Tyler Herro’s heroics, Davion Mitchell’s 28 points, Andrew Wiggins’ solid play and Kel’el Ware’s five blocked shots and 19 rebounds. But it wasn’t a victory. And at this time of year, that’s what matters most. If Davion scores on that final drive, it’s a completely different narrative.

Q: So the referees come back after halftime and know they blew it on the LaMelo Ball-Bam Adebayo play. So how about a makeup call on Davion Mitchell’s final drive? – Anthony.

A: Considering the Heat got that three-shot foul call on Tyler Herro’s late shot, and considering there was no foul call on the previous overtime play when Pelle Larsson came up with his steal, not sure you can complain about the game’s whistle. But it would have been interesting if crew chief Zach Zarba (one of the best in the game) would have been asked if, after viewing the play on video at halftime, whether it would have met the standard for a flagrant foul. If so, it would have been free throws for the Heat, possession and the Hornets would not have scored 5-on-4 on that ensuing possession. In a one-point overtime game, that could very much have mattered.