Before Stephen Curry stepped onto the court for his pregame routine in Utah on February 5th, he shared a hug with Andrew Wiggins outside the visitors` locker room. Wiggins had just learned he was part of a major five-team trade sending him to the Miami Heat and bringing Jimmy Butler III to Golden State. Shortly after, a visibly upset Steve Kerr gathered the team to announce the trade and allow emotional goodbyes to Wiggins, Dennis Schroder, Kyle Anderson, and Lindy Waters III.
That night, the short-handed Warriors lost 131-128 to the then 12-win Jazz, leaving their record at a middling 25-25. Curry, despite scoring 32 points on 31 shots in the frustrating loss, returned to a depleted locker room. Four teammates were gone from a close-knit squad. Yet, a superstar reinforcement was on his way.
An emotional Curry turned to Draymond Green, his longest-standing teammate. Green noticed tears in Curry`s eyes, the weight of the moment clearly affecting the usually composed superstar.
In the very arena where Michael Jordan sealed the Chicago Bulls` dynasty with his final shot, Curry may have inadvertently given the closing chapter of the Warriors` own dynastic era a fitting name.
“This is it,” Curry told Green. “It`s our last ride.”
All season, Curry had yearned for “meaningful” games, driven by the desire for a fifth championship ring. As he played his 151st playoff game in Game 4 against the Houston Rockets, this game held special significance, potentially with Butler by his side.
After being limited to just eight minutes in Game 2 and sitting out Game 3 due to a deep gluteal contusion, Butler aimed to return for his first playoff home game before an eager Chase Center crowd. Butler`s arrival has propelled the Warriors back into the postseason after a one-year absence, breathing new life into Curry and this late stage of their dynastic run.
“How many more genuinely realistic opportunities will we have to chase a championship?” Curry reflected ahead of Golden State`s surprising 95-85 Game 1 victory over the Rockets in Houston. “I`m not saying this is absolutely the final year of this specific run. It`s about focusing on what we can maximize from it.”
“Draymond and I have fought every battle together for the past 13 years,” Curry added. “Naturally, we`re trying to rekindle that magic.”
Coach Kerr has already begun integrating Butler`s methodical isolation plays with Curry`s signature motion offense, aiming to harness the best of both worlds. However, securing a fifth title, a decade after their first in the Curry era, will hinge on whether Curry and Butler can continue to effectively blend their incredible yet contrasting offensive talents to keep the Warriors` championship window open.
“The exciting part is Jimmy provides us with the chance to extend this timeline by a couple of years,” Kerr explained. “He`s that impactful. He`s also the type of athlete who will age gracefully because his game doesn`t rely on explosive leaping. It`s more about savvy, strength, and exceptional basketball IQ.”
“So, I believe we`ll remain highly competitive for the next few years. But Steph is right, these upcoming years represent the final push.”
Just over a month following the Butler trade, Curry celebrated his 37th birthday at home. By the early morning, only three people remained, playing poker and enjoying wine from Curry`s collection, including a large bottle of Chateau Margaux that Butler contributed.
Curry, Butler, and Green were building camaraderie and creating new shared experiences off the court.
“Yes, that`s because we`re all enthusiastic poker players,” Curry quipped. “It was a great time. Throughout the years, you make an effort to intentionally bring everyone together and enjoy yourselves.”
“That get-together served as a positive starting point for the remainder of the season.”
While Butler and Green have quickly formed a strong connection over late-night domino games on the road, Curry and Butler are also developing a relationship, despite their vastly different playing styles.
Curry`s game is defined by constant off-ball motion on the perimeter, tirelessly weaving around screens to find space for devastating three-pointers in what appears as organized chaos. Butler, conversely, operates with a more measured approach inside the arc, often with the ball in hand, creating mismatches for himself or teammates. He drives to the basket to set up others, score, or draw fouls, frequently appearing to use minimal steps.
“Opposites attract,” Butler joked after his first game playing alongside Curry on February 8th in Chicago.
“The way we play is significantly different,” Kerr noted when comparing this team to previous championship Warriors squads. “We don`t need to generate as much off-ball movement now, and that`s a tremendous advantage because playoff defenses are so sharp. We`ve faced series, like against Oklahoma City in `16 or Houston with all their switching in `17 and `18, where teams effectively neutralized a lot of our off-ball actions. But with Jimmy, you don`t require off-ball movement.”
“You can simply give him the ball, create space, and when a critical basket is needed, everyone is fatigued, and the game hangs in the balance, Jimmy is, in my opinion, as reliable an option as anyone in the entire league. I`m talking LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, it doesn`t matter, name them, Nikola Jokic, the world`s best players. Jimmy belongs in that tier. The fact that we can pass him the ball without needing to run eight different off-ball screens for Steph or Klay Thompson provides us with a completely new dimension.”
Butler, a keen soccer fan, prides himself on ball security and consistently creating scoring opportunities, or “shots on goal.” However, he also admits he appreciates the chaotic element of Golden State`s offense, even if turnovers occasionally frustrate Kerr and himself.
“Sometimes, positive outcomes emerge from this organized chaos, which one particular player thrives in,” Butler commented after Game 1. “So, you have to accept the good with the bad at times. It won`t always be perfect, and it won`t always be terrible, but we`re alright.”
“I handle the organized chaos well. I recognize when it`s happening,” Butler stated. “Let`s just be ready just in case, but I mean [Curry is] incredible, and out of that organized chaos, I think he generates an amazing shot for himself or creates one for someone else.”
Including both the regular season and playoffs, Curry has achieved a 76% effective field goal percentage directly from passes by Butler — ranking second among combinations with at least 50 shots together since February 8th. Furthermore, when they are not on the floor simultaneously, Butler has successfully stabilized the critical non-Curry minutes, with the Warriors boasting a plus-17.8 net efficiency when both players are in the game.
When Butler is on the bench, he watches Curry just like the 18,000 other fans in the arena, often shaking his head in amazement. He has become such an admirer of his new teammate that he recently wore a custom No. 30 Warriors jersey with “Butler III” on the back during a workout.
“I believe any team has a chance when I`m on it,” Butler said after the Warriors secured the seventh seed with their 121-116 play-in victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on April 15th. “But I also know that every team has a chance if Steph is on the team.”
“So, I get to be Robin. He`s my Batman. We have all the villains over there: Two-Face, Joker, Riddler, and everyone else in the Western Conference. We`ve got many games to win.”
After Curry delivered a stellar performance of 36 points, 9 assists, and 7 rebounds to defeat the Rockets in Game 3 with Butler sidelined, an appreciative Butler posted a picture of Batman`s Bat-Signal on his Instagram, but featuring Curry`s signature Under Armour logo instead of the Bat symbol.
“Thanks Batman and team, excluding Buddy,” wrote Butler, who enjoys playfully teasing Buddy Hield.
Hield, who perhaps had his most impactful game as a Warrior with 17 points and five three-pointers, wants his own character in the Warriors` Dark Knight analogy.
“I knew Robin was out tonight, so I needed to step up,” Hield commented after the win. “[Just] being Alfred tonight.”
Since the trade, Curry has been thoroughly impressed with Butler, including the gesture of the custom jersey. Curry`s new star teammate is fully invested in this “last ride.”
“For the last 13 years, we had `The Splash Brothers`,” Curry recalled. “We had me, Draymond, and Klay, without a specific nickname, but we`ve been part of lineup nicknames and similar things.”
“Now, Jimmy taking the initiative to create a new nickname that he didn`t clear with me is wonderful because it shows he`s bought in, he`s committed.”
Sitting at a table at the Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad in early March, Butler was asked about his more widely known nickname, a persona that seems to possess playoff-specific superpowers, elevating him beyond a mere sidekick.
Butler initially downplayed the “Playoff Jimmy” moniker but left no doubt about his willingness to go to extreme lengths at this crucial time of year.
“Man, I think that`s a facade people have constructed over the years,” Butler said about “Playoff Jimmy.” “I understand my capabilities, that I can tell you. And I appreciate it because everyone thinks I just elevate my game, but I don`t necessarily just `elevate.` I might simply have the ball more often. I might be slightly more aggressive, looking to score.”
“[But] you`re referring to someone who will do absolutely anything to effing win. That`s a motherfeffer right there. The person they label as [Playoff Jimmy], he would die out there. He genuinely would. It`s intense. He genuinely would lay it all out there.”
The Warriors experienced their first genuine glimpse of “Playoff Jimmy” in their play-in victory over the Grizzlies. If there was any question about Butler`s potential impact for the Warriors at this stage, he delivered 38 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals in a grueling 40 minutes.
Since Butler`s debut on February 8th in Chicago, the Warriors hold a 26-9 record across the regular season, play-in, and postseason. Golden State lost Game 2 after Butler was limited to eight minutes following a nasty fall caused by being undercut by Amen Thompson on a defensive rebound. With him helping coach from the sideline, Curry and the Warriors grittyly pulled out Game 3 without him in uniform.
The Warriors were ranked 10th in the West when Butler joined and needed his postseason form early as he powered their strong push up the standings. He has helped Green lead the Warriors to the top of the league in defensive efficiency and top-three in half-court defensive efficiency, against on-ball screens, and in heavy contest rate during that period.
“I`m not sure it`s just the playoffs; I think that`s simply who Jimmy is,” said New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau, who previously coached Butler in Minnesota and Chicago. “Jimmy is an intense competitor. I`ve always felt his greatest strength was his competitiveness and his basketball intelligence. … That`s what the playoffs demand. You need the ability to think quickly. You`re often facing the same opponent seven times in a row. So, you must be able to make adjustments and read the game, which he excels at.”
Butler is one of only 10 players with higher career averages in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks in the playoffs compared to the regular season (minimum 100 playoff games). Green also appears on this list, indicating his own ability to elevate his game in the postseason.
Out of Butler`s 16 career 40-point games, eight have occurred in the playoffs. He is the sole player with half of his 40-point performances coming in the postseason among those with at least five career 40-point games.
“Yeah, he`s distinct,” Green said when asked about the “Playoff Jimmy” nickname after the play-in win. “You can clearly see a completely different level of intensity and focus. I`ve observed it on TV for years. Experiencing it up close and personal? It`s absolutely real. Sometimes, in the NBA, players acquire these nicknames, and you think, `Come on, that`s not accurate.`”
“That one is real. And I`m delighted he`s on our side.”
Kerr has witnessed teams employ every strategy to slow down Curry, including Houston, which resorted to multiple defenders grabbing, tugging, and even hugging the point guard as he fought to get open for shots in Games 1 and 2. However, for moments when defenses smother Curry, Kerr now has an effective counter for the physical nature of playoff basketball.
Since joining the Warriors, Butler has averaged 11.7 isolations per 100 possessions. No player has averaged 10 or more isolations per 100 possessions in a regular season and playoffs combined under Coach Kerr previously.
“Iso Jimmy” seemed perfectly suited for a hard-fought battle like the Warriors` Game 1 win, which Kerr compared to a playoff game from “1997.”
Kerr and Green repeatedly mentioned how Butler “calmed” things for the Warriors in Game 1. Houston cut a 23-point lead down to three in the fourth quarter. When the Rockets narrowed the gap to seven, Butler scored on a putback, then deliberately used the clock before sinking a turning stepback jumper over Alperen Sengun. Butler scored six of his 25 points in the final 1:43 to secure the victory. He finished with 25 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 5 steals – marking the third time he achieved at least 25 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 steals in a playoff game, tying Allen Iverson for the third most such games.
Without Butler for the final three quarters of Game 2, the Warriors resembled the team that was 25-26 before his debut in Chicago. Houston heavily focused on stopping Curry, and Golden State lacked the dimension Butler provides. While role players like Hield and Gary Payton II (16 points) stepped up to support Curry in Game 3, Curry emphasized, “We are aiming to win 14 more of these. We need Jimmy to achieve that.”
Curry recognized the shift in his season`s trajectory on that February night in Utah. Both he and Green felt the weight of responsibility with Butler`s arrival. That`s why the moment was so emotional for them.
The last ride is now in progress.
“Let`s effing go then!” Green recalled his response to the teary-eyed Curry in Utah. “Let`s do it!”
“There`s an appreciation we felt and continue to feel,” Green added. “We were sitting there, realizing we have an obligation to fulfill. … They [traded for Butler] for us because they still believe in us.”
