Considering it was a sold-out playoff game with a beloved hometown rapper who was recently freed from prison having kicked off the opening ceremonies, the atmosphere at the Wells Fargo Center had begun to seem lethargic Tuesday night. Through some combination of nerves in a potential series closeout game, the two teams each shooting less than 40% from the field in the first half, and Miami entering the locker room with a two-point lead, the raucous environment we had come to expect had gone a little flat.
All that changed about two minutes into the third quarter, when Goran Dragic had the ball stolen by Ben Simmons and, in a fit of frustration, slapped the soon-to-be Rookie of the Year in the back of the head, a move only considered acceptable when a mother reprimands her son in a 70’s sitcom.