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[Saba Sports News] Jimmy Butler seemed to draw a foul purely on his reputation during Friday’s game against the Toronto Raptors.
In the third quarter, Butler intercepted a pass and raced down the court for what should have been an easy dunk—but he completely missed it.
Lucky for him, referee Tre Maddox (No. 23) called a foul on Toronto’s RJ Barrett, claiming contact on the play.
However, replays clearly showed that Barrett didn’t touch Butler at all. Butler simply blew the dunk. Even he couldn’t help but grin at the phantom foul call that worked in his favor.
To make matters worse for the Raptors, Butler calmly sank both free throws, extending Miami’s slim lead and fueling a 30-19 run to close the quarter. The Heat went on to secure a 121-111 victory.
The 35-year-old, six-time All-Star is a master at getting to the line, with a knack for selling fouls even in the most high-pressure situations, like NBA Finals elimination games.
In this instance, either Maddox didn’t have the right angle to make the call or simply assumed there was no way Butler could botch a dunk without being fouled. Whatever the case, Butler made the most of his “lucky” break.