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Warriors will need ‘Playoff Jimmy’ to come alive amid unfortunate injury news
Warriors will need ‘Playoff Jimmy’ to come alive amid unfortunate injury news
The Golden State Warriors’ win Tuesday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves was historic, as it was the first time in NBA History where all four road teams won Game 1 of the conference semifinals.
However, it came at a cost. Warriors superstar guard Stephen Curry suffered a Grade 1 hamstring injury in the first half and was ruled out for the remainder of the game. He scored 13 points in 13 minutes on 5-of-9 shooting.
Curry was diagnosed with a Grade 1 hamstring strain, with the team announcing he will be reevaluated in one week, meaning he will be ruled out for Games 2, 3 and 4, at a minimum.
The Warriors survived amid the Timberwolves’ worst offensive performance of the season. There’s not a single human on the planet who can replace Stephen Curry, but eyes will be one person to perform to the nickname he earned early in his 14-year career.
Jimmy Butler will need to turn into “Playoff Jimmy” if Warriors want to make West Finals:
Even after he was given the nickname, Butler became nothing short of a folk hero for the Miami Heat with his postseason heroics outside of the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season.
Miami made two NBA Finals and three Eastern Conference Finals over a four-year span, including a historically great NBA Finals run as the No. 8 seed in 2022-23. He scored 56 against the No. 1 Milwaukee Bucks and averaged 26.9 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists on 46.8/35.9/80.6 shooting during that playoff run despite his ankle being a size of a softball after injuring it in the East semis.
However, around this time one calendar year ago, he suffered the worst knee injury of his career (MCL Sprain) after his worst season with the Heat.
The six-time All-Star didn’t earn a contract extension in the offseason and became disgruntled, eventually getting traded to the Warriors ahead of February’s trade deadline.
While Butler’s numbers have been similar to what they were in Miami this season, the 6-foot-7 wing has been more impactful alongside Curry and Draymond Green. He’s been the “Robin” to Curry’s “Batman.”
Well, now, he’s going to have to be “batman” again. He wasn’t great in Game 1 Tuesday, but still finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists in 41 minutes on 7-of-20 shooting. On the court, Butler hasn’t consistently looked like he did two years ago outside of his Dec. 16 against the Detroit Pistons (sorry Herrick), where he had 35 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists in an overtime loss.
It’s unfair to expect Minnesota’s offense to continue to skid, even though Warriors had the league’s best defense post-All Star break and, well, aren’t the Lakers. They will need Butler’s best version, especially with its lack of trustworthy options on a night-to-night basis. Draymond Green and Buddy Hield shot the ball efficiently in Game 1, but can they–among others–sustain that?
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