Jimmy Butler III set free a single sniffle as he sat down on the podium following the Recreation 5 loss that ended the Warriors’ season.
“We’re not going to use anything an excuse,” Butler mentioned.
The snot in his nostrils, nonetheless, served solely as additional proof to a case that had been constructing by his play on the court docket for a lot of this Western Convention semifinal sequence in opposition to the Minnesota Timberwolves. There was one thing incorrect with “Playoff Jimmy.”
Golden State Warriors ahead Jimmy Butler III (10) drives the ball in opposition to Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) in the course of the first half of Recreation 5 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff sequence, Wednesday, Might 14, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photograph/Abbie Parr)
Nonetheless hampered by the exhausting fall he took in Spherical 1, preventing off an sickness that cropped up earlier than Recreation 4, the 35-year-old Butler wasn’t in a position to carry the Warriors after they wanted him most. With Steph Curry watching from the sidelines, Minnesota contained him to 17 factors on 4-of-11 capturing from the sphere and 9-of-11 from the foul line within the Warriors’ 121-110 defeat Wednesday night time.
In his first postseason with Golden State, Butler averaged 19.2 factors, 6.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists in 36 minutes over 11 video games, however was compelled to overlook a recreation of their first-round sequence in opposition to Houston after struggling a pelvic and deep gluteal muscle contusion in Recreation 2.
Whereas Butler downplayed the influence of the damage, Warriors coach Steve Kerr mentioned, “He was definitely compromised all series. I think the injury in Houston definitely impacted him. He’s been playing through pain.”
In 4 video games since Curry strained his left hamstring, Butler scored greater than 20 factors solely as soon as — when he dropped 33 in Recreation 3, which was additionally the closest the Warriors got here to pulling out a win at lower than full energy. Butler tried 26 photographs in that recreation — plus one other 9 from the free-throw line — however didn’t get off as many tries between Video games 4 and 5, going a mixed 9-of-20 for 34 factors to go together with his 6-of-13 effort for 17 factors with out Curry of their Recreation 2 loss.
“Once Steph went out, it changed everything for our whole team,” Kerr mentioned. “But especially for Jimmy.”
“Their defense just started loading up on him,” mentioned Draymond Inexperienced, who completed 4-of-11 for 10 factors — one among three Warriors to aim as many photographs as Butler, together with Brandin Podziemski (11-of-19) and Jonathan Kuminga (11-of-23).
After ending a game-worst minus-30 in Recreation 4, Butler was a team-worst minus-17 in 42 minutes Wednesday.
“Obviously it’s very different whenever you don’t have Steph on the floor,” Butler mentioned. “I feel like everyone has to take on more and everybody has to play a little bit of a different role, but that’s just the game. Injuries happen. But it is a lot different with Steph not out there.”
Blitzing Butler appears to be like totally different than when it occurs to Curry. He likes to drive and resolve from there to take it to the rim himself or discover the open man on the perimeter. The Timberwolves had a lot measurement and athleticism that they have been in a position to match up with Butler one-on-one and take away his potential retailers.
Golden State Warriors’ Jimmy Butler III (10) appears to be like to move the ball in opposition to the Minnesota Timberwolves within the third quarter of Recreation 3 of the Western Convention Second Spherical NBA Playoffs at Chase Heart in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, Might 10, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Space Information Group)
“Mostly we tried to take away his playmaking,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch mentioned. “Fortunately we have a number of guys who were able to body him. Jaden (McDaniels) has length. Julius (Randle) has physicality. Ant(hony Edwards) has physicality. Even Rudy did a really good job when he got switched on him. Over time, that can take its toll on somebody when you have to face that many defenders.”
It didn’t assist that, with out Curry, the Warriors didn’t have many shooters for Butler to seek out. They completed 11-of-39 (28.2%) from 3 in Recreation 5 and shot 34% from distance over the course of the sequence whereas going lengthy stretches with out a single bucket from downtown.
“I think the biggest thing in this series was without the spacing that Steph gives us, Minnesota did a great job of just playing us one-on-one,” Kerr mentioned. “(Butler’s) whole game is to iso, get the ball into the paint and then move it to generate shots. They just made the decision not to leave our perimeter guys, even our non-shooters on the perimeter. … They made things difficult on Jimmy.”
Now, it’s again to the drafting board for Kerr and the Warriors. Curry, Butler and Inexperienced are all below contract by means of 2027. Though Curry will flip 38 and Butler and Inexperienced will flip 36, they consider they will nonetheless add one other championship to the Warriors’ dynasty.
They went 23-7 collectively down the stretch and took down the convention’s No. 2 seed earlier than well being caught as much as them.
“I think we’ll be right back at it. It sucks to end this way, but we think we’ve got the pieces to make another run at it and do it again,” Inexperienced mentioned. “That’s gonna be our mindset going into this summer.”
Butler was requested when the planning begins.
“That’s a good question,” he mentioned. “Maybe on the plane (home), I don’t know. For sure sometime this summer.”
Initially Revealed: Might 14, 2025 at 11:53 PM PDT
