This time Jimmy Butler waited for his moment of truth. With the clock reading 0:00.
Up nine with 1:45 to play, the Miami Heat blew all of that lead, creating a desperation possession with 4.3 seconds left in a tie game Wednesday night against the Milwaukee Bucks.
So Butler got the ball, just as he did so often at the end of the Heat's Game 1 win, when he scored 15 of his 40 points in the fourth quarter.
Fouled by Giannis Antetokounmpo just as time expired, Butler was sent to the line with no time remaining _ and no one on the court.
Good and good.
Game.
Heat 116, Bucks 114.
Somehow.
"It's part of the game," Butler said. "We're going to find a way."
The victory moved the Heat to a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series, with Game 3 at 6:30 p.m. Friday on the same neutral court at Disney's Wide World of Sports amid the new coronavirus pandemic.
Butler this time did not score in the fourth until 3:32 remained, when he got to the foul line.
No matter, even with Butler limited to 13 points.
Because the Heat ensemble approach again proved efficient, getting 23 points from Goran Dragic, 17 from Tyler Herro, 16 from Jae Crowder, 15 from Bam Adebayo, 13 from Duncan Robinson and 11 from Kelly Olynyk.
It was the first time the Heat have had seven players score in double figures in a playoff game.
Going in, Butler said he didn't need it to be his night, but rather, "I hope it's Goran tonight or I hope it's Tyler or Duncan, or somebody like that. As long as we get a dub, I couldn't care less."
It's exactly what happened and what he got _ until he finished it off.
"I love this group," Butler said. "I don't need to be a 40-points-a-night scorer here."
The Bucks ultimately had the game's leading man, with Antetokounmpo closing with 29 points and 14 rebounds, but not enough otherwise, beyond 23 points from Khris Middleton.
The Bucks trimmed the Heat's lead to 111-107 with 1:17 to play on an Antetokounmpo 3-point play. But Adebayo then countered with a short jumper with 54.5 seconds left to put the Heat up 113-107.
Antetokounmpo then fouled out Adebayo with 43.9 seconds left, but missed both foul shots.
But still it wasn't over, with an Antetokounmpo basket, a Butler turnover and a Brook Lopez layup leaving the Heat with a mere 113-111 lead with 8.5 seconds to play.
That put Butler to the line with 7.7 seconds to play. Butler made only the second of the two foul shots, to put the Heat up 114-111.
From there, the worst of all outcomes, with Dragic fouling Middleton on a 3-point attempt with 4.3 seconds to play, with Middleton's foul shots tying it.
Then Butler drew the foul and made the free throws.
"Our guys gutted it out," Spoelstra said.
