Kurtenbach: Batman? Robin? No, the Warriors need a real superhero — Playoff Jimmy

This of unit is not why the Warriors traded for Jimmy Butler The Dubs weren t looking for a No option someone to drag this crew perhaps even kicking and screaming to wins They didn t need Miami Jimmy or even Chicago Jimmy But with Steph Curry sidelined and the Warriors and Timberwolves tied at - in their Western Conference Semifinals series which heads back to San Francisco for Games and Saturday and Monday the Warriors need Butler now more than ever For all this talk about alter-egos and superheroes this postseason Batman Robin Alfred the Butler it s time for a real superhero to show up The Warriors need Playoff Jimmy And I m talking about the classic edition The hunched-over-on-the-advertising-board all- -minutes left-it-all-out-there indomitable-will-to-win Butler Anything less spells doom for the Dubs Related Articles Jonathan Kuminga made the greater part of his moment for Warriors against Timberwolves Warriors were awful in Event loss That could help them in a big way Warriors sputter without Steph Curry drop Meeting vs Timberwolves Steph Curry shares details about hamstring injury I ve never dealt with this before Warriors Wolves already complaining about officiating in their playoff series Is it a big ask Absolutely Butler is playing injured this is the final eight of the NBA and he s playing with Kevin Knox Yes that happened Thursday and it wasn t a bit Butler must have flashed back to his infamous practice in Minnesota where he amid a contract squabble with the unit led the third stringers to a scrimmage win over the starters It s declared that in that scrimmage Butler made it a point not to number He instead played defense like a madman and passed the ball to the future stars of Europe They ran over the starters But if the Warriors want to win another event and extend this series to a Encounter and a attainable just viable Curry return Butler will have to result They need buckets from Jimmy Has anyone ever played around with that phrasing Butler is adamant about playing the battle the right way these days It s what made his transition to Golden State so easy He wants to get his guys going make sure everyone touches the ball and gets good clean looks That s all well and good when you have Curry or you re in a training-camp scrimmage But did Butler look around him on Thursday The cast and the stage didn t match for the Warriors Maybe this West Coast lifestyle and collaborative Kerr spirit has made him soft Tom Thibodeau would never let this happen Steph wasn t out there in Tournament and Warriors coach Steve Kerr was deploying a throw-stuff-against-the-wall strategy playing guys in the meaningful portion of the challenge So I can appreciate that in a challenge like that where the lineups are constantly changing and the Warriors are just trying to find two- and three-man combinations that work much less five-man units Butler being unselfish can be a positive He spent so much of Match pointing to spots on the floor trying to get the out-of-their-depth end-of-the-bench Dubs into the right sets He was orchestrating But the Dubs don t need a coach on the floor anymore they need someone to result Butler took only nine shots in the first three quarters on Thursday That tactic amongst so a multitude of other things lost the match The feeling-out period is over now The Warriors revealed specific guys Jonathan Kuminga and Jackson-Davis who can theoretically help against this particular Minnesota matchup And from Encounter onwards it s on Butler to be selfish I m guessing he knows it too When the Warriors went down - in the first five minutes Thursday there was a strange inkling that hey they might not figure in the first quarter What did Butler do He took the ball into his hands and scored five quick points off a and an -foot jumper When the Warriors needed to make a quick message to start the second half down what did Butler do He drove right to the basket and scored He knocked down another -pointer to cut the lead to He followed that with an And- drive to the basket There s no one else on the Warriors right now that you can reliably say can give the group That means Butler demands to give the Dubs something close to Does he have it in him Related Articles Jonathan Kuminga made the preponderance of his moment for Warriors against Timberwolves Warriors Draymond Green vents about being stereotyped after another technical foul Warriors were awful in Event loss That could help them in a big way Warriors sputter without Steph Curry drop Match vs Timberwolves Anthony Edwards returns to Warriors-Timberwolves Contest after ankle injury It might not be in his legs or more specifically and I apologize for this his butt which had a deep deep bruise after his hard fall in Tournament in Houston to lift his squad Playing every other day since his return including a Meeting in Houston isn t exactly recuperation for an injury that would under normal circumstances have sidelined him until around now I know Warriors fans are seeing Butler in earnest for the first time these past minimal weeks but this is not the Butler of years past Long stretches of play have not been unselfish but passive His explosion seems to be saved for a insufficient choice bursts a championship Late in the fourth quarter of Competition against the Wolves the encounter Curry had to leave in the second quarter with his hamstring injury Butler was caught by TNT cameras telling Dubs assistant coach Chris DeMarco I can t hear I m extremely tired He downplayed that exhaustion after Encounter I feel pretty good I get to rest Butler mentioned We get to take a flight back sleep in our own beds Get various recovery dominoes coffee kids And get ready to compete again Carrying a group is hard Why do you think he was so happy to come to the Warriors Besides the money of program Carrying a crew without your ahem powerhouse that s for all my football scouts is even tougher But Butler has a reputation for having the mentality to overcome all that He s won everything imaginable save for the largest part vital thing a title And if he wants a shot at one this season he demands it to carry this squad to one win in the next three games So yes the Warriors didn t acquire Butler to be a No but this is precisely why you need a No like him