Bucks fans aren't going to be happy with the NBA's Last Two Minute Report for Game 5 of the team's first-round series.
The league's review of Milwaukee's stunning loss to Miami on Wednesday night determined that Pat Connaughton — not Jimmy Butler — should have been called for a foul before Butler hit the game-tying shot to send the game into overtime.
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With 2.1 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Heat trailed the Bucks by two points. On Miami's sideline out of bounds play, Gabe Vincent threw a pass over the outstretched arms of Giannis Antetokounmpo to Butler, who managed to beat the buzzer as he fell to the floor.
"I was going to a different version of [that play], and [Butler] just said, 'No, let me be that guy,'" Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "And I just said, 'OK, but what if we can't get that pass?' And he said, 'I'll get it. Don't worry about it.'"
JIMMY. BUTLER. https://t.co/pK5mEX0xAs pic.twitter.com/wY6zxFZ0oa
— NBA (@NBA) April 27, 2023
The Last Two Minute Report referred to the play as an incorrect non-call, but not for the reason you would have expected.
While the assumption was that the league would admit Butler should have been whistled for a push-off foul, the NBA's review concluded that Connaughton was the first player to make illegal contact.
"Connaughton (MIL) holds Butler's (MIA) arm before Butler pushes off to receive the pass," the Last Two Minute Report said.
The Heat went on to secure a 128-126 overtime victory, eliminating the Bucks and advancing to the Eastern Conference Semifinals. They became the first Play-In Tournament team to win a playoff series and only the sixth No. 8 seed to take down a No. 1 seed.
While the Bucks may be frustrated with the ruling, their defeat went well beyond that one call.
Milwaukee fell apart in the fourth quarter after holding a 16-point lead. The Bucks had just 16 points on 3-of-19 shooting from the field in the final frame. Antetokounmpo in particular struggled to generate any offense, scoring two points on 1-of-9 shooting over the final 12 minutes.
Butler, meanwhile, capped off an incredible series with a 42-point performance in Game 5. He averaged 37.6 points per game against the Bucks despite being guarded by one of the league's top perimeter defenders in Jrue Holiday.
"I'm just in a groove. I'm in a rhythm," Butler said. "I've been shooting the ball an incredible amount this series, but I feel like they're all shots that I know that I can make. And my teammates keep telling me to shoot the ball, shoot the ball more, attack. That's just what it was.
"No matter what, if I'm scoring, if I'm passing, defending, rebounding, whatever it may be, we just gotta win, win at all costs. We did that."
