The Miami Heat suffered a heart-crushing loss against the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Heat gave all of their effort and battled the whole way through, but they didn’t have quite enough, coming up just short at the end of the game.
The scene that is on everyone’s mind right now is Jimmy Butler’s shot at the end of the game. With about 20 seconds remaining in the game, the Heat were down by two points with a chance to tie the game with a two or take the lead with a three-pointer.
The ball was in the hands of their leader in Jimmy Butler. He stepped into a three-pointer and the shot was short off the front of the rim.
The result was a disappointing finish to an epic comeback run by the Miami Heat. Since the shot had the potential to decide the game at that moment, many have been questioning whether it was the best shot for Jimmy Butler and the Heat at the end of the game.
After all, he is not known for being a premier three-point shooter and he was shooting about 30 percent from three up until that point in the series.
Miami Heat: Why Jimmy Butler’s Three-Point Shot Was The Right One
Even though there are reasons why that could be considered a bad shot, it was the best shot the Miami Heat could have gotten. And it was the right shot.
It is not always possible to put the ball in the hands of your best player and it is especially more difficult to get an open look. Jimmy Butler had already hit the same shot earlier in the game.
He had been having a terrific postseason and he felt confident enough to take the shot. Also, Erik Spoelstra did not call a timeout, which means he trusted Jimmy Butler.
He knew that Jimmy Butler would make the best decision when it came to helping the Miami Heat close the game. It was a good look but it didn’t sink in.
That’s just the facts of the matter. Even deeper into thought about it though, Butler had played all 48 minutes at that point.
Perhaps he could have used the timeout to rest a little bit. So, was Spoelstra’s decision to not call a timeout the right one?
The answer is there is also yes, as it was about Jimmy’s shot being the correct one. Let’s get into a brief reason why.
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.
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.