Miami Heat's Jimmy Butler: `I'll Make The Next One'

Heat struggle with execution on the final possession in Game 3 against the Atlanta Hawks

Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler finished with a near triple-double in Game 3 against the Atlanta Hawks, but will be most remembered for missing the shot on the final possession. 

Down by one, Butler misfired on a 3-point shot at the buzzer that allowed the Hawks to steal a 111-110 victory at State Farm Arena. 

The Heat still lead the series 2-1 but know they missed out on an opportunity to take control. 

"I missed the shot," said Butler, who finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. "Simple as that."

The Heat had 4.4 seconds to execute a play after Trae Young's floater put the Hawks ahead.  

"Get free, shoot, make it," Butler said of the play. "I didn't. I'll make the next one."

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said it's unfair to blame Butler because of the execution and the Hawks' defense. 

"We didn't get great execution or a clean look at the end," Spoelstra said. "That's a big-time credit to them. They played great defense down the stretch."  

There was a point the Heat figured they wouldn't have to worry about late-game execution. They led by 14 in the fourth quarter. 

"It's a combination of a little different things," Spoelstra said. "It's one key stop when you needed, one key rebound ... We couldn't finish it off." 

Game 4 is Sunday in Atlanta.

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here