There was plenty to dissect from the dying stages of the instant classic between the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics on Saturday night, and the NBA's Last Two-Minute Report has provided some clarity on a couple of the more controversial moments from the end of Game 6.
One of those occurred in the lead-up to Al Horford's foul on Jimmy Butler with just a couple of seconds to go, which sent the Heat star to the line for three free throws. He promptly hit all of them to give Miami the lead and likely victory with 3.0 seconds left, although we all know what happened next.
Prior to drawing the foul, Jimmy Butler seemingly attempted to grab the ball with two hands to shoot while dribbling towards the right corner. He subsequently lost control, before regaining the ball and being fouled by Horford while attempting to shoot. The video below shows the sequence.
JimmyHorford pic.twitter.com/W1x9UhlZLW
— James Burnes (@JamesBurnes8) May 28, 2023
The play had some – most likely plenty of them from Massachusetts – calling for a double-dribble prior to the foul, but the NBA has clarified the call in the game's aftermath. According to the Last Two-Minute Report, “Butler fumbles the ball out of his control when he ends his dribble, then recovers it and legally attempts a field goal.”
The non-call certainly didn't receive as much airtime as others in the dying stages, most notably the addition of an extra 0.9 seconds to the clock after Butler's free throws, and most could recognize that this wasn't a double-dribble. Had the Heat gone on to hang onto their lead, however, it would likely have received a little more scrutiny than what it did.
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