Curry, Butler get Warriors into playoffs

It’s all about matchups in the NBA. All about how the pieces fit. And sometimes about getting lucky.

Did the Warriors really want Jimmy Butler? Or would they have preferred Kevin Durant—or someone else? Either way, when the trade deadline came in February, the player they ended up with—traded for Andrew Wiggins—was Jimmy Butler.

So far, so very good. The move by the front office general manager, Mike Dunleavy Jr., has worked perhaps better than imagined but at least as well as required.

Butler goes by the nickname “Playoff Jimmy.” Maybe it should be Play-in Jimmy. He’s a very big part of the reason the Golden State Warriors will be playing the Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs starting Sunday.

Butler provides what the Warriors need. A balance to Steph Curry, a guy to draw the opposition defense away from Steph, not to mention someone who can score, rebound, and play defense. What teams try against the Warriors is to keep the game slow and physical, contrary to the Dubs' preferred style of speed and spacing. If you want to call it a one-two punch that is acceptable. And also acceptable is the way Butler performed in the play-in game. Golden State, because of a tailspin late in the regular season, was forced into the play-in. Nerve-wracking, but nothing worse, because Golden State was 0-3 in play-ins. With Butler scoring 38 points and Steph Curry 37, the Warriors, Wednesday, made it past the Memphis Grizzlies, 121-116.  

“For us to finally get on the other side of it,” said Curry, “and to play, hopefully, a solid seven-game series—it’s exciting.”

Even more exciting, of course, would be for the Warriors to win another championship. But with a challenging road ahead—possibly facing the Oklahoma City Thunder and, farther down the line, the Boston Celtics—one dare not get too confident.

The Warriors had a 3-2 record against Houston during the regular season, which would offer a reason to think positively about this coming series. And now with Butler, they should be able to play the grind-it-out, bang-around style the Rockets will present.

Houston, with a stronger bench, surely would like the series to go the maximum. The shorter it might go, the better it would seem for Golden State, although strange things happen once the ball is tipped off.  

Age could become a factor for the Warriors if the series stretches out. Curry is 37 and Butler is 35. Curry is a little beat up—though it hasn't affected his shooting—playing through a sprained thumb on his shooting hand. He also missed games earlier due to a pelvic contusion.

Yet great athletes—and great defines Curry—inevitably overcome the aches and pains to get onto the court and into the competition. The Warriors are right where they wanted to be: still playing. Curry is very much responsible. So is Jimmy Butler.