The last seconds of Game 2 between the Miami Heat and the Milwaukee Bucks were wild. Both teams were trying to win the game, scoring clutch points and making big defensive plays. When the clock was running out, the Heat had the ball and Jimmy Butler attempted a 3-pointer. He was guarded by Giannis Antetokounmpo, who touched him on his right side, getting the foul call and giving two free throws to the Heat. Butler made both free throws and gave the Heat the W and a 2-0 lead in the series.
Have to imagine Jimmy Butler may never walk again after this vicious foul by Giannis pic.twitter.com/yAUXzND5K9
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) September 3, 2020
That play and the call raised a lot of eyebrows around the league, with some fans calling it a ‘robbery’. ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith reacted to the play, calling out the referees for the way they officiated during those last seconds. Smith took to Twitter to express his discontent with the call and the final outcome of the game. He explicitly mentioned referee Marc Davis and blasted him for the call.
“That is absolutely, positively, a shameful call by Marc Davis. How can you make that ticky-taco call in that situation! I picked the @MiamiHEAT to win this series, but to make that call in a time game with 0:00 on the clock is disgraceful. @Bucks should’ve walked off before FT’s,” Smith wrote on Twitter.
That is absolutely, positively, a shameful call by Marc Davis. How can you make that ticky-taco call in that situation! I picked the @MiamiHEAT to win this series, but to make that call in a time game with 0:00 on the clock is disgraceful. @Bucks should’ve walked off before FT’s
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) September 3, 2020
More factors contributed to the Bucks’ loss, including a missed free throw by Khris Middleton, but a different decision could have sent us to overtime instead of granting the Heat two free throws. Well, now the game is part of the past and the Floridians are 2-0 up with Jimmy Butler being good on both ends of the floor, having big help from his teammates and with Erik Spoelstra outcoaching Mike Budenholzer.
Sure, the refs played a role in the final outcome of the game, but it’s not like the Bucks did more than tie the game before that foul.
