As Jimmy Butler hopes to return for Game 4, his much-awaited home playoff game for the Golden State Warriors, he’s more than willing to die on the court.
In an ESPN story that came out on Monday ahead of the critical Game 4 of the Warriors-Houston Rockets first-round series, Butler sounded off on his “Playoff Jimmy” moniker.
“Man, I think it’s a facade that people have created over the years,” Butler told ESPN of “Playoff Jimmy.” “I know what I’m capable of. I can tell you that. And I love it because everybody thinks I just take it up a notch and I don’t really just take it up a notch. I just might have the ball a little bit more. I might be a tad more aggressive, looking to score. [But] you’re talking about somebody that’s going to do anything to f—ing win.”
From their Play-in Tournament win over the Memphis Grizzlies up until the ill-fated first quarter of Game 2, the Warriors experienced what “Playoff Jimmy” looks like.
“That’s some motherf—er right there,” Butler continued. “The person that they deemed as [Playoff Jimmy], he’ll die out there. He really will. It’s scary. He really will die out there.”
Butler sacrificed his body, gave it all out there when he tried to pull the rebound and got undercut by Rockets guard Amen Thompson with 1:51 left in the first quarter of Game 2.
In two postseason games — Game 1 win vs. Rockets and Play-in overtime win vs. Grizzlies — for the Warriors before his injury in Game 2, Butler averaged 26.5 points on 52.5% field goal shooting, 8.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 5.0 steals in 46.0 minutes.
It’s a massive jump from Butler’s average in 30 regular-season games since he joined the Warriors: 17.9 points on 47.6% field goal shooting, 5.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.7 steals in 32.7 minutes.
Jimmy Butler Celebrates Game 3 Win With Bat-Signal IG Post
Butler, who ruled out in Game 3, was more than relieved the Warriors found a way without him.
Doubling down on his Batman-Robin monicker for Stephen Curry and him, Butler made a Bat-signal-inspired celebratory post on Instagram.
“Thanks Batman and team. Excluding Buddy Hield,” Butler wrote with a photo of the Bat-signal replaced by Curry’s Under Armour logo.
Hield, who has become a punchline of Butler’s jokes, tried to insert himself in the conversation.
“I knew Robin was out, so I had to step up,” Hield said after the win. “I had to be Alfred.”
Hield knocked down 5-of-11 3-pointers for 17 points off the bench. More importantly, he was plus-14 in 29 minutes in his most impactful game for the Warriors this season.
Steph Curry Puts on Batman Cape in Game 3 Win
The Rockets ganged up on Curry without Butler in Game 3.
Bruised and battered by the Rockets’ brutal, physical defense, Curry fought back with 36 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.
Curry unloaded 21 of his points in the second half as he and the Warriors found little opening for him from the Rockets’ brutal defense.
“You’ve got one task,” Curry said of the Warriors finding a way to win without Butler. “Hopefully he’s back next game, or if he’s not we can still play at a high level, we can win a tough, physical playoff game. I think we all know, we’re trying to win 14 more of these. We need Jimmy to do that.”
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