Jimmy Butler and the Golden State Warriors are certainly not in a position they would hope to be in at the end of the regular season. With an upcoming Play-In Tournament matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies, Butler shared his strategy amidst potential injury concerns.
"We're right where we want to be. We've still got the opportunity to control our own fate. We're going to be just fine," said Butler when asked about the upcoming matchup against the Grizzlies.
He continued to share his strategy: "Win. Don't lose."
"I wanted to win," Butler added in response to another to the loss against the Clippers, "I don't care who the ball touches, whose scoring. It didn't end the way we wanted it to end, so we've got to figure something out, myself included, and hit the ground running come Tuesday."
Jimmy Butler has become a vital element in transforming the Golden State Warriors since his arrival. Butler put up an impressive performance on Sunday against the Clippers as he played the entire 48 minutes of the game and notched 30 points and 9 rebounds.
Unfortunately, his efforts failed to produce a win for his team as they succumbed to the Los Angeles Clippers in a 119-124 loss. The loss hurt the Warriors' postseason aspirations as they fell from a guaranteed playoff berth into the Play-In Tournament.
Butler's familiarity with the Play-In Tournament will come as some respite in this situation. During his tenure with the Miami Heat, the forward had some of his best performances when his team had its back to the wall. Upon finding himself in a similar situation, Golden State will look to its star pair of Butler and Steph Curry to produce a miracle to keep their postseason dreams alive.
However, the Warriors may face more concerns ahead of their upcoming game against the Memphis Grizzlies. Following the loss on Sunday, Jimmy Butler was seen limping with a suspected thigh injury. This may have been a product from his collision with Clippers star Kawhi Leonard late in the game.
Butler spoke about his injury during his postgame interview as well. While addressing that the collision hurt, he didn't seem to worried about it and sounded hopeful regarding his availability against Memphis.
Butler's availability for Tuesday will be vital for Golden State. The star forward has notched an average of 17.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game thus far. Since Butler's arrival, the Warriors have notched a 23-7 record. This is beyond impressive considering the start they had to the season.
The Golden State Warriors will head into Tuesday night's matchup with some advantages over Memphis. With a 3-1 record against the Grizzlies in the regular season, the seventh-seeded Warriors will enjoy more than just home-court advantage against Memphis.
The crowd at the Chase Center will be cheering for the home team as they hope to mount another postseason run. With some lingering animosity between the two franchises setting the tone for the game, fans can expect an exciting display on Tuesday at 10 pm ET.
