Jimmy Butler took a questionable shot in the final seconds of Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat on Sunday night. The three-point attempt even took Jaylen Brown by surprise.
The Heat came up with a stop while trailing 98-96 with under 22 seconds left. They had a chance to tie or take the lead, and Butler went for the latter when he pulled up from the three-point line with about 17 seconds on the clock (video here). He missed the shot and the Celtics got the rebound.
Boston went on to win 100-96 and advance to the NBA Finals. Brown was asked after the game about Butler’s shot, and he said he was dumbfounded by it.
There is a big debate over whether Butler took a good or bad shot. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said he liked it and that he thought it was going in. Some will argue that Butler had Al Horford on his heels and should have driven to the basket, possibly drawing a foul. Though, Horford is a good interior defender and it is hard to rely on a whistle in that situation. Butler had a clean look, and no one would have questioned the shot selection if he made it.
Butler finished with 35 points and played all 48 minutes in Game 7. It is easy to question his most costly decision, but he was the only reason the Heat were even in position to win.
