Draymond Green Criticizes Jimmy Butler For His Now Infamous Shot

After Miami Heat star, Jimmy Butler’s Game 7 defeat in the Eastern Conference Final to the Boston Celtics on Sunday, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green showed no mercy to him. Of course, it’s all in the name of good sportsmanship, we hope.

The game was almost at a tie with Boston leading 98-96, with 16 seconds left on the clock. Butler did grab a defensive board and drove up the court, where he attempted a pull-up jumper but missed.

This mistake proved to be the final nail in the coffin of the Heat, who entered the playoffs with the best record in the Eastern Conference. This game was also a devastating end for Butler. as his performance was important in Miami’s long postseason run.

Butler would have to face Draymond Green in the Finals if that shot hadn’t been missed. Green was not impressed with Butler’s shot at a crucial point in the game. On his podcast, The Draymond Green Show, he criticized Butler’s performance.

Green said, “I personally think that shot shouldn’t have been taken. And the reason I thought that it was a bad shot was because that shot right there, that was it. That was like — the shot simply said, ‘We’re either winning this, or we’re going home.’ And once the shot was missed, it just felt like somebody took a little staple or a little safety pin and just poked right at the balloon, and the air just left out of the building once that shot was missed, as opposed to Jimmy Butler, who we know is absolutely amazing at getting to the rim and even better at getting to the rim and getting fouled.”

“And so you have a backpedaling Al Horford with a ton of space with your shooters running to fill it in, and you’re sitting at 35 points,” Green added.  “You’re at home, crowd’s into it. If Jimmy Butler drives that basketball and scores or if Jimmy even drives, the likelihood of you getting a foul call — and you’re on your home court, and Jimmy’s great at getting fouled — is significantly higher. And so if Jimmy drives that basketball and he scores, or he gets fouled, and the game is tied, all of the pressure then turns to the Boston Celtics.”

Regardless of his shot selection, Bulter has made quite the impact on the Miami organization this year and he is most likely to bounce back from this defeat.

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