The Clippers essentially didn’t bother to show up Friday night in Toronto, falling behind by as many as 31 points before eventually losing 98-73.
Caron Butler shot just 3-of-12 from the field in 37 minutes, which may explain why he attempted to trick Jonas Valanciunas into getting one more chance to score as the clock was winding down, and after both teams had a tacit agreement that the game was in the books.
As Valanciunas crosses half court and terminates his dribble, Butler approaches him and offers up a friendly, sportsmanlike handshake. Once the Raptors rookie relaxes and accepts, Butler grabs the ball and heads down the floor on the break, before he’s caught from behind and fouled with 2.8 seconds to play.
The Clippers were down 27 points at the time.
This is more hilarious than it is infuriating, because with the only thing at stake being Butler’s personal statistics, he’s entitled to keep playing until the final buzzer sounds. I guess. I mean, no one got hurt, and the final outcome remained unchanged.
If anyone is going to be upset at Butler’s antics, it’s likely to be his own teammates. Extending a humiliating loss longer than necessary isn’t likely to sit well in the locker room or with the team’s head coach.
At least it shouldn’t.
