The Buddy Hield–Jimmy Butler comedic saga continued after the Golden State Warriors eliminated the feisty Houston Rockets 103-89 on Sunday in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series to advance in the NBA Playoffs.
Hield joked that Butler was “Robin” no more after Hield exploded for a playoff career-high 33 points to pace the Warriors in the series-clinching win.
Butler coined the Batman-Robin moniker for him and Stephen Curry as the Warriors’ 1-2 punch. Hield creatively inserted himself in the conversation as “Alfred” when he stepped up in Butler’s absence in a Game 3 win with 17 points.
“Jimmy Butler, everybody,” Hield told reporters after their Game 7 win as Butler took his seat for his postgame press conference.
Butler tried to dismiss his teammate, saying: “Get off the stage!”
Hield was not having it and continued roasting Butler.
“Jimmy Butler, tell them you’re not Robin no more. He’s Alfred! His name is Butler,” Hield shouted in jest while leaving the media room.
During his postgame presser, Hield already hinted at what was to come.
“Jimmy didn’t say nothing to me yet,” Hield told reporters. “I’m not going to get on Jimmy yet; I’m going to keep it calm, but today I had to fill his role for him in the first half. He was slacking. But we all weathered the storm, and it was a great team win.”
Buddy Hield ‘Was Huge’
Butler returned the favor by taking a dig at Hield at the beginning of his postgame press conference.
“Buddy gets paid a lot of money to play at high level. You know, Buddy was Buddy tonight. Good for you, Buddy. Good for you,” Butler initially said.
But turning serious, Butler praised his friend and teammate for his historic play.
“Buddy was huge,” Butler told reporters. “But we know the type of basketball player he is, and he’s a tough cover for sure whenever he’s making shots. But he made so many right plays on the defensive side of the ball where it needed to go. Buddy was really, really, really, really big for us tonight.”
Buddy Makes History
Hield carried the Warriors offense in the first half when the Rockets defense zeroed in on Stephen Curry and Butler.
After a scoreless performance in Game 6, Hield bounced back in a historic fashion.
Hield exploded for 22 in the opening half as the Warriors sat on a 51-39 cushion at halftime despite Curry scoring only three points and Butler with only eight points.
Curry still ended up with 22 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, two steals and two blocks. Butler finished with 20 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
But the spotlight belonged to Hield, who was locked in from the get-go in his first Game 7 appearance.
The nine-year veteran connected on six 3-pointers in the first half which set a Game 7 record. His nine 3-pointers for the entire game tied Donte DiVincenzo for most 3s in Game 7 history. His 33 points was the most an NBA player has scored after going scoreless in his previous game in NBA playoff history, according to ESPN.
“I was just locked in, just trying to find my joy,” Hield told reporters. “I’ve never been in this situation before and just trying to seize the moment and relish the moment and be in the moment and at the same time, enjoy the moment.”
But what stood out to Golden State coach Steve Kerr was Hield’s defense more than his offense.
“I thought his defense was tremendous tonight, too,” Kerr told reporters. “One of the keys to the game was Fred VanVleet only got two free throws. Fred has just destroyed us the last three games. He’s had an amazing series. He completely flipped things with his play. Buddy did a great job on him. So, this was not just a lights-out shooting performance for Buddy, it was a two-way performance.”
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