Overview:
Gabe Vincent, a 2018 graduate of UCSB, has started at point guard for all 11 of the Heat’s NBA playoff games
Gabe Vincent kept a cool head after braining an opponent at the worst time of the NBA playoffs on Friday.
His redemptive play down the stretch of Miami’s series-clinching, basketball victory over the New York Knicks proved that the Comeback Kid from UC Santa Barbara is still good on the bounce.
“Most important,” he affirmed afterward, “is to learn from our mistakes.”
The final 85 seconds for Vincent were playing out as horrifically as a Vincent Price narrative.
He committed a pair of untimely fouls that gave the Knicks the opportunity for a dramatic comeback in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference semifinal at Miami’s Kaseya Center.
The first foul came far from the basket, giving New York’s Mitchell Robinson two free throws that reduced the Heat’s lead to 90-86.
Vincent responded by driving the lane and deftly wrapping a bounce pass around his defender for a dunk by Bam Adebayo with 1:05 to go. It was the fifth assist of the game by the 6-foot-3 guard.
But his next foul, with the game entering its final minute and victory seemingly in hand, could have been a faux pas of historic proportion. He inadvertently whacked Jalen Brunson in the head while trying to pull out of the grasp of the Knickerbocker defender during an inbounds play.
That Knicker-knocker cost Vincent a Penalty One Flagrant Foul, giving Brunson two free throws along with the ball.
Josh Hart’s layup capped a four-point possession, reducing Miami’s lead to 92-90 with 54.6 seconds still remaining.
“I guess I caught him,” Vincent said after watching a replay of the incident. “I thought there was a foul (by Brunson) before that could’ve been called that wasn’t, but that’s the game.
“Luckily, we were able to pull it out despite the two free throws and the ball.”
Support System
But pluck, Vincent said on second thought, actually had more to do with it than luck.
“It’s a very selfless group on and off (the court) and a roomful of competitors,” he continued. “If someone falls, someone is there to pick him up.”
Jimmy Butler had Vincent’s back a few moments later by making a pair of free throws to get Miami’s lead back to four points.
And then Vincent had the front of New York’s Julius Randle while making the defensive play of the game.
He was covering the left corner while two of his teammates rushed to cut off Brunson’s drive along the opposite baseline. Brunson tried to take advantage of the double-team defense by passing to Randle as he flashed unguarded through the middle of the key.
But Vincent alertly left his man after seeing the play unfold. He darted directly in front of Randle and stopped his progress, causing the pass to be deflected to Miami’s Kyle Lowry.
The defensive stop effectively quashed all Knickerbocker hopes of a Game 7 finale at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
The 96-92 victory advanced the Heat into the NBA Eastern Conference finals, where they will open the best-of-seven series on Wednesday in Boston.
“I just did our principles,” Vincent said of his decisive, defensive play. “That was my rotation to make and I made the rotation.”
To the Starting Line
Making the starting rotation of one of the NBA’s premier organizations has been an upset all its own.
Vincent’s rising collegiate career had been turned on its head six years earlier when he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee during his junior season at UCSB.
The injury, along with the ineligibility of the Gauchos’ two starting post players, led to a 6-22 season and a last-place finish in the Big West Conference.
UCSB promptly fired Bob Williams even though he’d run a clean program with a high graduation rate, was immensely popular with his players and the community, and had won at least 19 games in the previous three seasons.
His 313 victories and three NCAA Tournament appearances top the record of all Gaucho basketball coaches.
UCSB nearly lost Vincent, too, with its stunning move.
“A big reason why I had gone to that school was coach Williams,” he told Noozhawk. “For me and my teammates, who were all there for similar reasons, it was difficult.
“And dealing with my injury and my aspirations, and knowing a new coach was coming in …”
Vincent didn’t finish the sentence. The thought of changing course before his senior year was a touchy subject for the UCSB honors student.
But he decided to remain a Gaucho after UCSB hired Joe Pasternack as its new head coach.
“After some long talks and conversations with the current coach, coach Pasternack, I decided to stay and continue my rehab,” Vincent said.
A Turn-Around Jumper
Vincent wound up averaging 12.4 points per game, winning All-Big West Conference second-team honors and helping UCSB win 23 games to tie a school record. It marked the biggest turnaround of any NCAA Division I program that season.
His scoring average was about two points fewer than his sophomore and junior seasons, but he was happy to win again. He set the school record with 243 three-pointers and his 1,441 career points rank 10th all-time.
“It wasn’t easy trying to come back and play immediately,” Vincent said of that senior season. “I came back around the nine-month mark and didn’t necessarily feel great.
“I knew I could impact the game and, as a competitor, I wanted to play, so I took the leap of faith. And thankfully it worked out.”
But the injury turned his childhood dream of an NBA career into an even bigger leap. He failed to get drafted after his senior year and his rookie season in the G League was hindered by a torn ligament in his thumb and a pulled hamstring muscle.
“Going in, I knew it would be a struggle,” Vincent said. “I had everything against me … not having the leg up that a draftee would have in terms of an investment and so forth.
“Initially, I thought I’d give it two years in the G League and just grind my way up.”
Vincent had a healthier second season in 2019 with the Stockton Kings. He averaged 20.9 points and averaged a league-best 4.3 three-pointers per game to win the G League’s Most Improved Player Award.
But he also began to wonder if his shot at the NBA would ever come.
“When I almost lost hope in the league, I got a call from my agent, Bill Neff,” Vincent said. “He says, ‘We’ve got Miami looking at you.’ I said, ‘Get off the phone with me and call them back. Let’s see if we can get this done.’
“He woke me up from my sleep with that call and it was like the best cup of coffee I’ve ever had … I was wired at that point. A couple of hours later, we ended up narrowing it down and getting everything situated. Before I knew it, I was on a flight out to Sioux Falls.”
He signed a two-way contract with Miami, finishing the G League season with the Heat’s affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce. He was also called up to play seven games for the Heat.
Vincent spent the entire, coronavirus-constrained season of 2020-2021 inside the NBA bubble with the Heat. The team then signed him to a regular NBA contract covering the seasons of 2021-2022 and 2022-2023.
He will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the playoffs, although his heart is clearly with the Heat.
“Miami does a great job of developing talent,” Vincent said. “They go find guys like myself and develop us and put time into us, and when the opportunity presents itself, we put in the work to be ready.”
Making a Point
Vincent was ready when injuries to Kyle Lowry and Tyler Herro opened up a spot at point guard this year.
He started 34 games during the regular season, averaging 9.4 points and 2.5 assists per game. He became the first undrafted player in seven years to score 27 points and make five steals in a game when he pulled off the feat against Milwaukee on Jan. 16.
Vincent, who will turn 27 next month, has also started all of Miami’s playoff games despite Lowry’s return from the injured list. He’s 11.5 points and 4.8 assists in the 11 games.
Vincent bounced the top-seeded Bucks from the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, getting 22 points and six assists in an 128-126 overtime victory that clinched the series.
His biggest moment came when Butler converted his long, inbounds lob from the sideline to send the game into overtime. He downplayed the play, in typical Gabe Vincent fashion.
“I’ve just got to throw the ball up there,” he said. “Giannis (Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee’s 6-11 superstar) was on me, so who else is going to jump up with Jimmy to get it?
“So for me, it was easy. I just had to get it over Giannis. Once I took two steps back and lobbed it up for Jimmy, he took care of the rest.
“I have complete faith in Jimmy.”
Vincent’s teammates express that same faith in their undrafted point guard. Adebayo even got a little emotional about it during the news conference after the series-clinching win over Milwaukee.
“Y’all don’t see the many shots, the late nights, the cold tubs … It’s gotta be him, man,” Adebayo said. “It’s gotta be him.
“Y’all don’t see the work this man has put in to get here. Even when he first got here, on the court with a slightly torn knee, and still out there trying to win a spot … I’m just happy to have him on my team.”
They’re all hoping to keep the gang altogether for just a few more weeks.