Jimmy Butler channeled 'Playoff Jimmy' during Golden State's win over Detroit on Saturday night
Just one month ago, it looked like the Golden State Warriors' hopes of making a meaningful postseason run were practically non-existent. The Dubs were 25-26 and on the outside of the Western Conference Playoff picture, barely hanging on to the 10th seed. But thanks to a trade with the Miami Heat that landed Golden State veteran forward Jimmy Butler, a postseason appearance became a virtual certainty.
With Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Steve Kerr in the picture, the Warriors have at the very least a puncher's chance in any Playoff series. After all, we're talking about a core that has delivered the Bay Area four NBA Titles and six Finals appearances in the last decade. But the looming presence of ‘Playoff Jimmy' legitimizes Golden State's title hopes in a very real way, and even Steve Kerr is seemingly coming around on this idea.
After a 115-110 win over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night — Golden State's 11th victory in 13 games since acquiring Butler — Kerr acknowledged that in a game that was played with postseason intensity, ‘Playoff Jimmy' showed up a couple of months ahead of time and went for 26 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists.
The way people talk about ‘Playoff Jimmy' make it sound like he's some sort of hardwood folk hero. Paul Bunyan in sneakers. Davy Crockett with a shot fake that defenders just can't help but fall for. But on multiple occasions, we've been shown that this is no myth or apocryphal tale. Twice Butler led the Miami Heat to the NBA Finals, and once he brought them to within a game of an Eastern Conference Title. In his last seven postseason series', Butler is averaging 27 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals per game.
But Jimmy Butler's impact as a member of the Warriors won't necessarily just be measured by the numbers that he puts up. Perhaps even more important to Golden State's success will be what Butler's presence unlocks for Stephen Curry. Curry has been on a prolonged heater since the Butler trade, averaging 30.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 6.4 assists with 50-42-92 shooting splits. Against Detroit, the two-time MVP poured in 32 points — his sixth game with at least 30 points since Butler arrived.
