MINNEAPOLIS – He has many nicknames, the most common being Playoff Jimmy and Jimmy Buckets.
But with Steph Curry expected to miss time with a left hamstring injury he suffered on Tuesday during the second quarter of a Game 1 victory at Target Center, a new but familiar mantle is being dusted off for Warriors forward Jimmy Butler.
Franchise savior.
He showed why in a surprising Game 1 win.
Butler scored 20 points, grabbed six offensive rebounds and had almost every possession run through him in the fourth quarter against his former team.
“I know I’m going to have a lot of minutes coming my way,” Butler said of the increased burden with Curry injured. “I train for this. I’ll be ready for it.”
Despite being pelted with boos from fans upset with how he publicly forced his way out of Minnesota back in 2018, he shrugged off the jeers while adding that some Wolves fans crossed the line.
It was impossible to tell that Butler was bothered by anything on the court while playing a role he is well accustomed to.
He led two undermanned Miami teams to the NBA Finals as an eighth seed, dragging them there with incredible displays of willpower.
“I’m not a volume shooter, never have been and probably never will be, but I’m gonna play the right way,” Butler argued.
The numbers provide a compelling argument against Butler, who is no stranger to putting up impressive scoring numbers against the best defenses in the league.
Butler has scored at least 40 points in a playoff game eight times — all during his five runs with the Heat. He reached that figure twice on their push to the Finals in the 2020 bubble, then added four more 40-pointers in 2022. A year later, he had back-to-back 56- and 42-point games to close out the top-seeded Bucks as Miami climbed from the play-in tournament to the Finals.
Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler (10) hangs on the rim after a dunk during the second half of Game 1 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
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the Nuggets in the Finals.”]
So Kerr knows what to expect from Butler without a second star in the postseason.
“Jimmy is as good as anybody, any start in the league, at reading the game, understanding how to control the tempo, time and score, understanding everything that is happening,” Kerr said. “Putting the ball in his hands in a situation like that is pretty comforting. ”
Even during his brief time with Golden State since arriving at the February trade deadline, the Warriors have seen glimpses of Butler as a solo star.
When Curry missed a regular-season game in March against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks, Butler scored 24 points and dished out five assists, scoring nine in the fourth quarter to close out the 104-93 victory.
Now Curry could miss anywhere from a few days to possibly weeks, but the Warriors can rest – slightly – easier knowing they have a rare sidekick who can level up when called upon.
“Robin turned into Batman,” Draymond Green declared of Butler’s performance, adding that Buddy Hield climbed from Alfred, Bruce Wayne’s butler, to Robin using the superhero analogy.
The sequel is set for Game 2 Thursday (5:30 p.m. PT, TNT).