Jimmy Butler missed what would have been a game-tying free throw attempt in the closing seconds of Sunday’s game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Detroit Pistons, and Reggie Jackson may have been to blame.
Jimmy Butler misses game-tying free throw after Reggie Jackson distracts him
Jackson iced Butler at the line, causing him to miss a game-tying free throw.
Jackson interrupted Butler’s usual rhythm to get teammate Stanley Johnson lined up for rebounding purposes, stepping into the lane and delaying the process juuuust a bit longer. You can see it’s enough to make Butler turn his head and provide us with a sensational new reaction gif.
Butler had been fouled on a three-point shot with the Timberwolves down by three, and he hit the first two shots. But even for a career 83 percent free throw shooter like Butler, hitting three in a row isn’t guaranteed. Perhaps Butler would have missed anyway without Jackson’s interruption, but it can’t hurt, you know?
This is hardly an uncommon practice. The NBA might be the most talented league in the world, but even these players aren’t above using schoolyard tricks to gain every small advantage possible. And yeah, they feel pretty good about themselves.
Minnesota was forced to foul and Tobias Harris hit both free throws at the other end of the court. To make things worse, the desperate three-pointer with three seconds remaining was also missed by Butler, resulting in a 100-97 Pistons win.
