Warriors set to unleash ‘different’ Playoff Jimmy Butler against Rockets originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – The world around us begs for stress, anxiety and far too many worries. Smiles and laughs feel secondary at the moment. A basketball exercise that’s sure to bring both takes almost no time and is meant for all ages.
Fire up Basketball Reference and type in your favorite player. Below their complete name – first, middle and last – are nicknames for players. Some are known worldwide, others have never even been heard by the player.
Threezus. Yeah, that’s apparently Steph Curry. The Dancing Bear. Don’t call Draymond Green that, but it’s included in his list of nicknames as well.
Ever since the Warriors acquired Jimmy Butler, two words have been brought up over and over again for a team eyeing their fifth championship during this dynastic run, and a player looking for his first ring after two trips to the NBA Finals that fell short with his previous team.
“He different, that guy,” Green said, his eyes lighting up at the sound of Butler’s nickname. “He’s different. You can just see a whole different intensity level and focus. I’m a basketball fan, you know, so I’ve watched it on TV for years. To see it up close and personal, like it’s a real thing. Sometimes you get in the NBA and these guys get these nicknames and you’re like, man, stop it. There’s some other nicknames out there, they not real.
“That one’s real. And I’m happy he’s on our side.”
Butler’s game is built on consistently making the right plays, often deferring to teammates. He isn’t going to force shots or toss up heat checks. Golden State was given another star alongside Curry upon Butler’s arrival, but that didn’t mean scoring barrages came in bunches.
Until the right time came.
The Warriors needed Game 83 to punch their ticket to the NBA playoffs, beating the Memphis Grizzlies in a fight to the very end, 121-116, Tuesday night at Chase Center in a play-in tournament matchup that decided the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference. When reminded of Butler’s Playoff Jimmy moniker, Gary Payton II pulled out something else from his Basketball Reference page.
“Jimmy Buckets,” Payton said. “Give him the ball. Go where he tells you to go, and sit and wait until Jimmy needs help, or he’s going to score or get fouled.”
Knowing the importance of fast starts and having the ultimate closer at his disposal in Curry, Butler scored 10 points in the first quarter for the second straight game. With a 7-foot-4 rookie center Zach Edey sagging off him, Butler hit two threes in the first quarter and calculated in real time how to either take advantage of extra space or maneuver his way closer to the basket, pressing all the right buttons of the computer that buzzes inside his head. That also led to his second straight game of 20 shot attempts.
And it also resulted in his second straight 30-point game.
Butler had scored 30 points just once since joining the Warriors, which happened to be Sunday’s regular-season finale – an overtime loss against the LA Clippers. He was up to 21 points at halftime Tuesday, which turned to 34 through three quarters and a season-high 38 on 12-of-20 shooting when it was all said and done.
The 35-year-old scored twice behind the 3-point line, climbed the ladder for multiple dunks and a tip shot, delivered a 15-foot jumper for his only made shot in the fourth quarter, and, of course, racked up frequent flyer miles at the free-throw line. Butler attempted a season-high 18 free throws and made 12, a number far too low for his standards.
“At the end of the day, you need somebody that can put the ball in the basket, and he knows how to do that,” Curry said. “We have to keep doing all of our parts, and you know, Playoff Jimmy will hopefully be a big unlock for us.”
Beating the Grizzlies means a series with the young, long, athletic and ultra-physical Houston Rockets. Butler, in his final three games to end the regular season, plus Tuesday’s play-in game, scored 28, 24, 30 and 38 points. He dropped just 13 in a loss to the Rockets a week and a half ago.
There won’t be a lumbering rookie guarding him, but doses of Amen Thompson, Dillon Brooks and others trying to play in the rough-and-rowdy image of coach Ime Udoka. Butler’s message to his first opponent in the way of him and the Warriors’ path towards a championship? Bring it on, all of it.
“We’ll go back to the drawing board and see how I can be effective on the offensive side of the ball,” Butler said. “But I really believe I can score with the best of them. I don’t care who I’m lined up against.”
That loss is long gone to the mind of a winner. The calendar has turned its pages to Playoff Jimmy time.
Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast
Warriors set to unleash ‘different’ Playoff Jimmy Butler against Rockets
SAN FRANCISCO – The world around us begs for stress, anxiety and far too many worries. Smiles and laughs feel secondary at the moment. A basketball exercise that’s sure to bring both takes almost no time and is meant for all ages.
Fire up Basketball Reference and type in your favorite player. Below their complete name – first, middle and last – are nicknames for players. Some are known worldwide, others have never even been heard by the player.
Threezus. Yeah, that’s apparently Steph Curry. The Dancing Bear. Don’t call Draymond Green that, but it’s included in his list of nicknames as well.
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Ever since the Warriors acquired Jimmy Butler, two words have been brought up over and over again for a team eyeing their fifth championship during this dynastic run, and a player looking for his first ring after two trips to the NBA Finals that fell short with his previous team.
“He different, that guy,” Green said, his eyes lighting up at the sound of Butler’s nickname. “He’s different. You can just see a whole different intensity level and focus. I’m a basketball fan, you know, so I’ve watched it on TV for years. To see it up close and personal, like it’s a real thing. Sometimes you get in the NBA and these guys get these nicknames and you’re like, man, stop it. There’s some other nicknames out there, they not real.
“That one’s real. And I’m happy he’s on our side.”
Golden State Warriors
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Butler’s game is built on consistently making the right plays, often deferring to teammates. He isn’t going to force shots or toss up heat checks. Golden State was given another star alongside Curry upon Butler’s arrival, but that didn’t mean scoring barrages came in bunches.
Until the right time came.
The Warriors needed Game 83 to punch their ticket to the NBA playoffs, beating the Memphis Grizzlies in a fight to the very end, 121-116, Tuesday night at Chase Center in a play-in tournament matchup that decided the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference. When reminded of Butler’s Playoff Jimmy moniker, Gary Payton II pulled out something else from his Basketball Reference page.
“Jimmy Buckets,” Payton said. “Give him the ball. Go where he tells you to go, and sit and wait until Jimmy needs help, or he’s going to score or get fouled.”
Knowing the importance of fast starts and having the ultimate closer at his disposal in Curry, Butler scored 10 points in the first quarter for the second straight game. With a 7-foot-4 rookie center Zach Edey sagging off him, Butler hit two threes in the first quarter and calculated in real time how to either take advantage of extra space or maneuver his way closer to the basket, pressing all the right buttons of the computer that buzzes inside his head. That also led to his second straight game of 20 shot attempts.
And it also resulted in his second straight 30-point game.
Butler had scored 30 points just once since joining the Warriors, which happened to be Sunday’s regular-season finale – an overtime loss against the LA Clippers. He was up to 21 points at halftime Tuesday, which turned to 34 through three quarters and a season-high 38 on 12-of-20 shooting when it was all said and done.
The 35-year-old scored twice behind the 3-point line, climbed the ladder for multiple dunks and a tip shot, delivered a 15-foot jumper for his only made shot in the fourth quarter, and, of course, racked up frequent flyer miles at the free-throw line. Butler attempted a season-high 18 free throws and made 12, a number far too low for his standards.
“At the end of the day, you need somebody that can put the ball in the basket, and he knows how to do that,” Curry said. “We have to keep doing all of our parts, and you know, Playoff Jimmy will hopefully be a big unlock for us.”
Beating the Grizzlies means a series with the young, long, athletic and ultra-physical Houston Rockets. Butler, in his final three games to end the regular season, plus Tuesday’s play-in game, scored 28, 24, 30 and 38 points. He dropped just 13 in a loss to the Rockets a week and a half ago.
There won’t be a lumbering rookie guarding him, but doses of Amen Thompson, Dillon Brooks and others trying to play in the rough-and-rowdy image of coach Ime Udoka. Butler’s message to his first opponent in the way of him and the Warriors’ path towards a championship? Bring it on, all of it.
“We’ll go back to the drawing board and see how I can be effective on the offensive side of the ball,” Butler said. “But I really believe I can score with the best of them. I don’t care who I’m lined up against.”
That loss is long gone to the mind of a winner. The calendar has turned its pages to Playoff Jimmy time.
Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast
