Jimmy Butler spoke after the Golden State Warriors' 105-98 win over the Houston Rockets. Butler noted that his first four games with the Warriors have been very strong. However, one thing that has bothered him is the loss to the underhanded Dallas Mavericks, who were able to get an upset win against the Warriors. The loss made Butler sick to his stomach.
“When you put a bunch of good basketball players together on the floor, they always figure out a way to win. We should be 4-0. I’m not going to lie to you. Sick to my stomach because of it since I got here. But we’re going to figure it out.”
This is the kind of competitive spirit and fire that makes Jimmy Butler the dangerous player that he is. Butler leaves it all on the court on any given night when he is locked in with a team. We haven't seen Butler be this focused on the court since last season with the Miami Heat.
His now-infamous trade saga with the Miami Heat showed the worst of Butler, who can become petulant and confrontational when he doesn't want to be somewhere. Now that he got his move away from the Heat and is on the Warriors, it is up to him to show the positives he brings to the squad. Especially because he got his massive two-year, $110 million contract extension from the franchise.
In the game against the Mavericks, Butler played decently, putting up 21 points (8-17 FG), nine rebounds, seven assists, and one block. However, the Warriors weren't able to get the win against a Mavericks team that lost all three of their big men and were severely understaffed.
They needed a bounce-back win, and the Warriors got just that last night against the Houston Rockets. Butler played well yet again, putting up 19 points (6-15 FG), eight rebounds, and four assists.
The Warriors have struggled greatly this season. With Butler's arrival, they need to make a competitive playoff push this season. They currently are one game above .500 with a 28-27 record, and sit 10th in the Western Conference, which is good enough for a play-in spot in the standings.
However, the pairing of Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler is one the Warriors hope allows them to climb up the standings and secure a top-6 seed in the West before the season is over. For the Warriors, their best-case scenario is them achieve a 45-win season before the end of the campaign.
However, once they get to the playoffs, they will hope that Jimmy Butler will rise to another level as he has shown that he is capable of in the last few years. Now playing alongside an even better player, it is frightening to think of what Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler can do together in a playoff setting.
