The Chicago Bulls had a good chance to come away from Miami with two wins against the Heat, but will have to settle for just one as they lost 118-116 at the buzzer, no thanks to another signature shot from Heat star Jimmy Butler. Here are two takeaways from this devastating loss.
Defensive problemWith twelve seconds left and the game tied at 116-116, Jimmy Butler had the ball and ran it down the floor. Everyone on the Heat bench knew what was going to happen. Hell, everyone in the building knew that Butler – a man who had made a career out of catching and making throws – was going to shoot the ball against all odds. Butler came through and made it as his jumper lifted the Heat past the Bulls 118-116. After the game, Bulls coach Billy Donovan said they should have sent an extra defender at the buzzer to take the ball out of his hands. However, because the Heat did not call a timeout after regaining possession, Donovan said they did not have a chance to chat. The Bulls had momentum on their side as they overcame an 11-point deficit to take a 116-114 lead. But numerous defensive errors, including a lack of boxing late in the match, destroyed their chances of victory. “We could have done a lot to win this match,” Nikola Vucevic said. Numerous offensive rebounds and a costly turnover by DeMar DeRozan with less than a minute to play turned things around for the Bulls.“I’ve always said we can control things, and definitely blocking and rebounding is something we can do a better job with,” Donovan said.
“We’ve got to be able to run and go trap him,” Donovan said “[Butler] obviously got to his spot late. We can certainly learn something from that.”
“Obviously, it’s hard to get that into the guys at that moment in time. I think as guys gain more experience because if you do go at him with 3 or 4 seconds to go on the clock, you’re generally going to be okay making one rotation. You’re not dealing with a full clock. So that next guy probably has to shoot it. Butler obviously got to his spot,” Donovan added.
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