Miami Heat: Why Jimmy Butler’s Three-Point Shot Was The Right One
By Noah Decker
Miami Heat: Not Only Was Jimmy Butler Right, But Spo Was Right To Trust Him
In addition to the ball already being in Jimmy Butler’s hands, the Miami Heat had a fast break opportunity. For the Heat, that usually meant a basket was being scored.
Additionally, it threw off the Celtics’ defense, which couldn’t gameplan for any shot Butler could generate for himself or for another player in that moment. If Coach Spoelstra were to call a timeout, the Celtics would have been able to set their defense.
The Heat were struggling against their set defense all game. So, Spoelstra pulled the Phil Jackson maneuver and let his star decide the fate of the game without a timeout.
Given the way the Celtics were playing half-court defense, the Heat had no choice but to score on the fast break. At that moment, Jimmy Butler trusted his body.
As previously mentioned, he had played all 48 minutes up until that point. On top of that, he was already playing through knee problems.
He knew how much he had left in the tank. He knew that if the game went to overtime, he probably wouldn’t have enough energy to help his team win.
So, he put it all on the line with that shot. And it didn’t go in.
Jimmy Butler said he can live with that. Because of all he did to lead them there and his words on the topic, we all should be able to live with that too.
Still, it makes people wonder what could have happened if things had turned out differently. What if that shot went in?
It is a disappointing loss, but the blame does not go to Jimmy Butler for taking that shot. The Heat lost that game because of the mistakes they made leading up to that point.
Next. Disappointing Result But They Should Still Be Proud. dark
The missed free throws, the failure to get back to defend, and the turnovers will stay in their head all offseason long. You just hope that’s the motivation the Heat need go come back, to be better, and make a good swing at doing it all over again next year.