Miami Heat's Jimmy Butler Regrets Passing Up Final Shot In Loss To Atlanta Hawks

With the game on the line, Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler opted to pass to Caleb Martin in the closing seconds of Friday's loss to the Atlanta Hawks

Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler has never been shy about showing up in the clutch. 

He's comfortable taking the final shot most times but that wasn't the case Friday against the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks led 106-104 after guard Dejounte Murray hit a jumper with two seconds remaining. 

The Heat had one final possession. They inbounded the ball to Butler but instead of taking the last shot he chose to pass back to Caleb Martin. Time expired before Martin could get off a shot. 

Butler later admitted he made a mistake on the play. 

"I probably should've shot it, though, to be brutally honest," Butler said. "I guess I could have. I felt like I saw [the defender] take a step to come double. I passed the ball to Caleb. I think I put him in a terrible situation because I should be the one to take and make that shot." 

The play was so unlike Butler, who is known for his play in the final two minutes. Last year he was a finalist for the NBA's Clutch Player of the Year Award, which was given to Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox. Butler finished second. 

If anything, this will make Butler even more aggressive in these situations.

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Shandel Richardson covers the Miami Heat for Inside The Heat, a Fan Nation channel for Sports Illustrated. He has covered the NBA since 2010.

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