The Golden State Warriors’ playoff hopes will very likely hinge on the availability of veteran forward Jimmy Butler, who suffered a scary fall in Game 2’s loss against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night.
Butler exited the game in the first quarter and was later ruled out due to a pelvic contusion, the same issue that caused Steph Curry to miss two games earlier in the regular season.
Curry looked mortal and a little fatigued on the court without his star sidekick in Game 2, putting up 20 points in 37 minutes in the 109-94 loss that tied up the series. It marked the second time Curry has been stretched out to play nearly 40 minutes per game so far in the playoffs, and depending on the severity of Butler’s injury, the 37-year-old may not get much time to rest on the bench with a critical pair of home playoff games coming up.
Curry spoke briefly about Butler’s potential absence in Wednesday’s postgame press conference, declining to “dwell” on it too much since Butler was still waiting for his tests and could theoretically be back for Game 3 on Saturday night.
But, Curry did briefly talk about what the Warriors’ offensive game plan would look like sans Butler. Spoiler alert: It’s not pretty.
“If for whatever reason he’s not out there, I’ll carry a lot of the lift and the load on trying to create shots and create advantages,” Curry said. “We’ll have different rotations out there. There’s a couple of plays that we call for him specifically but the rest of it is just trying to make the simple play, not turn the ball over, hit the open guy, set solid screens, shoot if you’re open.
“It’s normal basketball—it’s just a matter of can we do it consistently enough, make enough shots. I don’t think it’s too much rocket science, just gotta be able to do it.”
Steph on Jimmy’s potential absence:
“If he’s not out there, I’ll carry a lot of the lift and the load on trying to create shots & create advantages. There’s a couple of plays that we call for him specifically but the rest of it is just trying to make the simple play” pic.twitter.com/qZb6lv7Ydy
https://twitter.com/ohnohedidnt24/status/1915283509536497805
It’s safe to say that the Warriors’ immediate future without Butler looks pretty bleak, considering all the juggernauts in the West they’d have to go through to reach the NBA Finals.
Butler helped the Warriors go on a 23-8 run to close out the regular season and be considered true title contenders, elevating Curry’s game while also serving as a grizzled leader and high-IQ ball-handler that the team could count on in clutch situations. On top of that, “Playoff Jimmy” has lived up to the hype, as Butler recorded 25 points, seven rebounds and six assists in the Game 1 win and added a team-high five steals.
For Curry and the Warriors’ sake, Butler needs to return sooner rather than later. They’ll be praying for good news these next few days.
