Germany needed some momentum to stay alive in EuroBasket.
They were climbing uphill in Wednesday's game against Slovenia, trying to make up a deficit as Luka Doncic had things rolling and Germany struggled to hit from three. It was a frustrating start to the game.
Time was running out, but the tide turned on one unlikely shot.
Down by seven points, Tristan da Silva hit a half-court heave to cut the deficit to four. It was the kind of shot there is no defense for, but it creates huge waves of emotion and momentum when they go in.
INCREDIBLE! Tristan Da Silva knocks down the #TissotBuzzerBeater from half-court to end the third quarter! 🚨🇩🇪 pic.twitter.com/rTiuhrbyJi
— FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) September 10, 2025
Germany indeed used that shot as a momentum builder. They raced past Slovenia for a 99-91 win, advancing to Friday's semifinal against Finland.
This was an elimination game. This was a postseason-level of intensity. There was no excuse not to give a heave a try.
But increasingly around the NBA, players eschew the heave or intentionally take it after the buzzer to preserve their stats. The NBA has finally said no more to that.
Or at least they made a compromise on that front.
Earlier this week, the NBA announced it would no longer consider heaves from 36 or more feet at the end of quarters to be an individual field goal. They will instead be credited as a team field goal.
The hope is that it will eliminate the incentive to avoid trying these shots. The hope is that it can create opportunities for more plays like the one da Silva made in Wednesday's game outside of the must-win pressure of the Playoffs, when stats matter a little less for contract negotiations.
Fans have been mostly split on the league's decision, decrying that it is the league having to do something manipulative with stats to get players to act a certain way. But it is here.
And it is at least an opportunity for the Magic to steal a few more points, providing they can make it.
The Magic are looking to make a heave
The heave is an inexact stat. The NBA does not formally recognize it (yet). But Basketball-Reference does. So we have some numbers to get an idea of how this new rule might affect the Orlando Magic.
Like the Magic's 3-point shooting, they struggled with their heaves last year, going 0 for 24. In fact, the Magic have not made a heave since Markelle Fultz's three-quarter court heave against the Sacramento Kings in the Bubble in 2020.
The Magic actually took the fifth-most heaves in the league last season. They were at least willing to try to get a deep three to end the quarters, at least compared to the rest of the league.
The median for heaves last year, according to Basketball-Reference was 18.
In the end, there are precious few of these shots. There might be an uptick in attempts because of the NBA's new rule, but that is really about it.
This is a minor thing. But making a heave is always a momentum changer and gets the crowd buzzing one way or another. It is not a shot to ignore.
Who will heave for the Magic?
Who shoots the heave is really a product of who gets the ball at that special moment. It can be quite random. Unsurprisingly, the team leaders in heaves did not take a lot of these shots.
Paolo Banchero led the team with five heaves last year. Jalen Suggs is the most likely player to lead the team in heaves next year. He had four in his injury-shortened season. So did Trevelin Queen. He was willing to let it fly at the end of quarters. Franz Wagner shot three heaves last season.
Desmond Bane will not add very much in the heave department. He has five career heaves, according to Basketball-Reference. He did not take one last year.
Tyus Jones has only four career heaves in his career. He has not taken one since the 2019 season.
That is a point guard, the player you would typically inbound the ball to and give the chance to heave. That is a symbol as much as anything of this shot being phased out of the league.
Maybe the league is onto something.
Only time will tell whether this new rule increases the amount of heaves at the end of quarters and the possibility for game-changing threes to go in. Or maybe the league ignores this and does not take any more heaves or shots.
It is a small thing. But it can have huge impacts on games. A made heave is a momentum changer.
It helped Germany get over the hill and advance in EuroBasket. There will be a shot that changes a game for the Magic this year. At least now there is no excuse not to take the risk.