Butler feels no burden to uphold ‘Playoff Jimmy' rep with Steph out
Butler feels no burden to uphold 'Playoff Jimmy' rep with Steph out originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The pressure is on after the Warriors dropped Game 2 against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday at Target Center, heading back to the Bay with the Western Conference semifinals tied at one game apiece.
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But Jimmy Butler, who has earned the nickname 'Playoff Jimmy' thanks to his postseason prowess, isn't hitting the panic button — even with superstar and leading scorer Steph Curry sidelined by a hamstring injury.
'I don't have a burden or expectation,' Butler told reporters postgame of the scoring onus falling on him now. 'I don't. I play basketball the right way. I will continue to play basketball the right way. If that time comes where your people that are saying whatever, [I'm] supposed to score 40 or 43, whatever the case may be, I'm capable of it.
'I can do it, but I love making sure that my guys are comfortable, passing the ball to them, taking the right shots at the right time. But we'll talk about it, if that may be needed. Who knows.'
Through 127 NBA playoff games, including eight with the Warriors (though he missed most of Game 2 before sitting out all of Game 3 against the Houston Rockets with a pelvic injury), Butler is averaging 21.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists.
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But he reached legendary status with the Heat during the 2022 and 2023 NBA playoffs. Butler averaged 27.4 points per game across 17 contests before the Boston Celtics eliminated Miami in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Butler had four 40-plus point games that postseason and scored at least 30 points eight times.
And in 2023, Butler's epic 56-point game in the first round highlighted the Heat's incredible run to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Denver Nuggets in five games. Butler averaged 26.9 points per game that postseason, scoring 30 or more points in five separate contests.
Those certainly are Curry numbers, but Butler has yet to score more than 27 points during the Warriors' current playoff run. He's their second-leading scorer behind Curry (22.6) with 18.6 points per game, and the closest behind him is Buddy Hield at 12.5.
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With Curry out at least a week, Golden State certainly would love 'Playoff Jimmy' to make an appearance as the team returns to Chase Center for Game 3 on Saturday. But Butler makes an impact through other means as well and isn't going to force it — he's going to keep playing basketball the way he knows how, and the points will come.
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