It wasn’t officially the start of the NBA playoffs yet but Playoff Jimmy showed up and showed out for his new team in the play-in tournament.
“He’s different. I’m happy he’s on our side,” Draymond Green said about Butler, who dropped 38 points to lead the Golden State Warriors to a hard-fought 121-116 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
The win advanced the Warriors into the Western Conference playoffs as the seventh seed. Butler is a major reason why the Warriors remain a legit title contender. Draymond is well aware of Jimmy’s reputation as a big-game hunter when April, May and June roll around and he certainly loves seeing it up close and personal.
“You could just see a whole different intensity level and focus,” Green said postgame. “I’m a basketball fan, so I’ve watched it on TV for years. To see it up close and personal, it’s a real thing.”
Butler’s magnificent all-around game — he also had seven rebounds, six assists, three steals — was the catalyst in Golden State putting Memphis on its heels and building an early 20-point lead before the Grizzlies stormed back.
With the game up for grabs, Steph Curry put on his superhero cape and provided the knockout punch in the second half. Curry took over down the stretch, scoring 15 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter including a perfect 13-for-13 from the free throw line to ice the game.
“We got a hellified Batman in Steph,” Butler told TNT’s Allie LaForce about his Warriors teammate.
“It’s real. It’s real I’m telling you,” Butler added. “That’s a Batman if I’ve ever seen a Batman. Always coming to save the day. He’s so poised, he’s so calm.”
When the Warriors acquired Butler in a blockbuster trade at the trade deadline, they picked up a player who can impact the game in multiple ways. Butler has been everything the Warriors envisioned. He’s been the Robin to Steph’s Batman, and having the two of them together gives the Warriors a punchers chance in the postseason.
“I think one more than anything how together we are on the court off the court, everybody wants everybody to be great,” Butler said. “We play our roles to a tee.”
Golden State has been the NBA’s second-best team since acquiring Butler, who’s had a significant impact on both ends of the court. Since the trade, the Warriors have owned the league’s best defense and they went from having the worst free throw attempts per game to being the best almost overnight.
A loss would have been detrimental for Golden State, a team many experts believe are on a short list on NBA championship contenders. But thanks to Butler and Curry, the Warriors avoid the extra game and get some much-needed rest before the playoff chase truly starts.
“Our guys have been playing high-level, knockout games for three weeks. We desperately needed the [extra days off],” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.
Image caption: Draymond Green calls Warriors teammate Jimmy Butler “different.” (Getty Images)