The Jimmy Butler Effect was mesmerizing Monday.
It involved two NBA playoff games – one that Butler played in and one that he didn’t – in opposite corners of the USA.
The Miami Heat, Butler’s former team, the one that sent him to Golden State at the February trade deadline, were swept from the playoffs by Cleveland, losing 138-83 in Game 4 in Miami and losing the final two games of the series by a combined 92 points.
The Warriors, Butler’s current team, the one that wanted him to help Steph Curry and the franchise make another run at a championship, took a 3-1 series lead against Houston with a 109-106 victory in San Francisco – and Butler made it possible.
After missing Game 3 with a left pelvic and deep gluteal muscle contusion sustained in Game 2, Butler delivered the kind of performance that the Warriors foresaw when they acquired him.
Butler scored 23 of his team-high 27 points in the second half, including 14 in the fourth quarter, and he made all 12 of his free throw attempts, including five in the final 58.7 seconds – two with four seconds left that put Golden State ahead 109-106.
Butler also had six assists, five rebounds, one block and made 7-of-12 shots. And he played 40 minutes.
“We had to have him,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “If this were the regular season, he’d probably miss another week or two. But, it’s the playoffs, and he’s Jimmy Butler. It’s what he does.”
Miami could’ve used a player like Butler. Golden State needs a player like Butler who provides offense and defense and helps lessen the weight Curry carries.
To be clear, Butler wanted out of Miami. It was once a fruitful relationship that resulted in the Heat going to the NBA Finals in 2020 and 2023, but in Butler’s eyes, his role with Miami this season had decreased. He still wanted a prominent role. When the relationship soured, Butler forced his way out.
But when Butler is engaged, he is a force. The Warriors were 25-25 and in ninth place in the Western Conference. They finished 48-34 and became the seventh seed through the play-in game.
But this is not your typical No. 7 seed, not with Draymond Green, Curry and Butler playing and Kerr coaching. And with 48 victories, the Warriors were just two games behind the third-seeded Los Angeles Lakers.
Golden State is now 26-9 in games with Butler on the court. In the final nine weeks of the regular season with Butler, Golden State had the No. 1 defense, No. 8 offense and No. 3 net rating. Butler was the reason.
Now, Golden State is one victory from advancing to the conference semifinals and a matchup against either Minnesota or the Lakers.
Butler scored 11 of Golden State’s final 14 points, including the final five. He collected a rebound with 5.5 seconds left and then made the game-securing free throws.
‘I wanted that rebound,’ Butler said. ‘I told Dray, ‘If you get a stop, I will get the rebound,’ and he got the stop, and I got the rebound.’
“The rebound at the end was just incredible – the elevation, the force and of course knocking down the free throws,” Kerr said. “Jimmy was just amazing.”
Playoff Jimmy has arrived for the Warriors.
The Jimmy Juxtaposition is jarring – the Heat were embarrassed and the Warriors see a path to a deep playoff run.
Follow NBA columnist Jeff Zillgitt on social media @JeffZillgitt