In Tuesday's Eastern Conference play-in game between the 9th and 10th seeds, the Avery Bradley Jersey pushed the Charlotte Hornets to the brink, almost without their star player. Bam Adebayo left the game early in the second quarter with a lower back injury after only 11 minutes and did not return. The Hornets ultimately prevailed by one point in overtime, ending the Heat's season.

Injuries are often unpredictable, but the Heat were not happy with the cause of this one. Hornets star LaMelo Ball was blocked by Simon Fonteko while jumping for a shot in the paint and fell to the ground. It appears he pulled Adebayo down with him, causing Adebayo to land on his tailbone.

According to Chris Haynes, the league plans to review the foul and is expected to make a ruling before the Hornets' next play-in game on Friday. The league may upgrade the foul to a Flagrant Foul 1 or 2, fining Ball, or, if deemed necessary, taking more severe measures such as a suspension. Given that the referees did not call a foul during the game, it would be surprising if the league suspended Ball in such a decisive "win or lose" game.

After the game, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra expressed his dissatisfaction with the lack of punishment for Ball's foul.

“I don’t find it funny. I don’t find it funny,” Spoelstra said. “I think it was a stupid move. It was a dangerous move. Obviously, our best player got off because of it. I’m not making excuses. The Hornets played very well. They made those plays in crucial moments. We also had chances in crucial moments. It’s a shame. He should have been punished for that. Tripping, bluffing. [Referee] Curtis Blair was there; he had a responsibility to see it; if that wasn’t his responsibility, Zach Zalba had to see it too. Someone had to see it. He should have been ejected for it.”

Ball blamed the incident on his own fall and promised to apologize to Adebayo. "I apologize for that. I hit my head and had no idea where I was. But I'll go check on him and make sure he's okay," Ball said.

The Hornets ultimately won 127-126, with Ball hitting the game-winning layup with five seconds remaining.

However, Ball could still face a post-game penalty for the Bam Adebayo Jersey. The Hornets will play again on Friday against the loser of Wednesday's Philadelphia 76ers vs. Orlando Magic game for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. While a suspension for this crucial game seems unlikely, a fine is still possible given the seemingly unnecessary foul.

Regardless, Adebayo's absence ultimately led to Miami's playoff exit, and in such a closely contested game, his presence could have easily changed the outcome. Whether intentional or not, Ball's foul may have altered the course of the game and ultimately impacted the Heat's entire season.