National Basketball Association

Are You Not Entertained?

Updated Sep. 3, 2020 3:32 p.m. ET

The NBA playoffs have been chockfull of nerve-wracking finishes, and Wednesday's slate of games was no exception.

Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals between the Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks, and Game 7 of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets first round series were decided by a mere two points apiece.

Furthermore, both of Wednesday's clashes had drama-filled closing seconds.

In a winner-take-all tilt between the Thunder and Rockets, 3-time scoring champion James Harden flexed his defensive muscles with the game in the balance, as Houston held a 103-102 advantage.

A mere four seconds remained on the clock when Thunder guard Lu Dort, who was in the midst of a career night with 30 points, elevated for a potential game-winning three.

Harden closed out in a flash, getting a hand on Dort's shot, and then narrowly avoided Dort's attempt to force a turnover.

The Thunder and Rockets played the foul game in the remaining few seconds and ultimately, the Rockets advanced to the Western Conference semifinals, with Harden's block serving as the game-defining moment.

Nick Wright delved in on what that stop meant not only for the Rockets presently, but Harden's entire legacy.

Former NBA superstar Dwyane Wade agreed.

In the East, there were whistles abound in the closing seconds, as the Heat took a 2-0 series lead against the top-seeded Bucks.

Up 111-102 with 1:56 to go, it looked as though Miami would comfortably close out the game.

That wasn't the case. In fact, it was far from the case.

Milwaukee's defense allowed just one field goal in the final minute, and trailing by 4 with 8.5 seconds to go, the Bucks seized a lifeline after Jimmy Butler turned the ball over under his own basket.

The Bucks then fouled Butler on the subsequent inbound to send him to the line, where he hit one of two free throws to tip the scales 114-111 in Miami's favor.

Then, the refs came into play.

Heat guard Goran Dragic was called for a shooting foul on Khris Middleton's 3-point attempt with 4.3 seconds remaining.

Middleton drained all three to tie up the game, but the Heat still had a chance to get a shot off, and they put the ball in Butler's hands.

His corner jumper as time expired missed the mark, but the refs again blew the whistle for a shooting foul, this time on Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Butler went to the line with 00:00 on the clock and bagged both of his attempts from the stripe, giving the Heat a 116-114 win.

To say the Butler foul raised some eyebrows might be putting it gently.

In Skip Bayless' eyes, while both the Middleton and Butler plays were fouls by the letter of the law, he would have swallowed the whistle on both occasions.

What more can we expect from the rest of the playoffs?

It seems like anything goes at this point.