Rasual Butler Is a Madman

At halftime of the Hornets' playoff-clinching victory over the Heat, you wouldn't have thought that this game was going to turn into anything special. New Orleans led by 10 at 40-30, and the teams put together an ugly second quarter where they managed to score just 24 points combined.

But Miami came back strong in the second half, and as you might expect, Dwyane Wade was prominently involved. But he left the door open for the Hornets when he missed a free throw with 10 seconds left in regulation, and Rasual Butler made him pay by hitting this crazy, game-tying three-pointer at the buzzer.

Hornets 93, Heat 87 (OT): Box Score | Scores | Playoff Race

That was nuts. But even after that, and even after David West went off in overtime to score eight of his team's 14 points, Wade and the Heat still had a chance.

Down two with the ball and eight seconds remaining, though, Wade turned it over and that was the game. He felt that Chris Paul fouled him, but it looked like he just dribbled it away. With the game already decided at that point, Wade let the refs have it, and was immediately ejected with under two seconds to go. He continued his complaining afterwards, and said that Paul "got him twice," whether he got some of the ball or not.

No matter. The Hornets officially clinched a playoff berth with this victory, and the Heat are in as well.