Major League Baseball’s list of such specialists through the years includes Mariano Rivera, Dennis Eckersley, Bruce Sutter, Rollie Fingers and Goose Gossage, among the many.
In another sport and another time, a Timberwolves team that lost double-digit leads 22 times last season acquired three-time All-Star Jimmy Butler, who with toughness both mental and physical is establishing himself as one of his game’s best closers.
A compilation of all his clutch shots late in games runs nearly six minutes on one YouTube channel. The Wolves themselves knew early about a guy willing to take the crucial shot — and make it more often than miss — or sacrifice his body getting to the free-throw line when it matters most.