Jimmy Butler is in the hunt for his second straight All-Star selection with the Miami Heat, but on Tuesday night against the Knicks, the NBA champion was more concerned with earning an Oscar.
With Miami holding on to a narrow one-point lead and looking to secure a second win over New York in a span of three days, Butler drew a foul on fellow All-Star hopeful Julius Randle with six seconds left in the fourth quarter, but Butler did everything he could to upgrade it to a flagrant foul.
The Knicks were furiously trying to put up a potential go-ahead shot, but bodies began to fly after Mitchell Robinson lost possession and caused a loose ball craze that led to Randle knocking down Butler. Play was whistled dead, but as bodies began to be helped off the hardwood, Butler remained, clenching his head while tossing and turning near the Miami bench.
But upon closer look, Butler was just taking an opportunity to brush up on his acting skills.
In between fits of clenched teeth and writhing in pain were playful peeks towards the scorer’s table and chuckles with teammates hunched over him, until Butler finally sprung to his feet, giving up on his attempt to get a flagrant.
After Miami finished off the 98-96 win, Butler credited a two-time Oscar nominee for the inspiration behind his display.
“I’ve studied Mark Wahlberg and how he acts so incredibly well and I’ve taken a few pointers,” Butler said after the game on Tuesday night.
Butler, who also playfully said he was concussed during a postgame interview on the Heat broadcast when asked about his playful antics, certainly went all-out with the sell attempt, didn’t need the flagrant to get the Heat a win, but perhaps his acting caught Wahlberg’s eye, and we’ll see him in “Ted 3.”
Of course, Butler should be just fine if his acting career doesn’t pan out. He dropped 26 points and dished out 10 assists to drop the Knicks to 11-15 on the season.
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