As the Miami Heat dropped the opening game of their first round playoff matchup against the highly favored Cleveland Cavaliers, a familiar face continues to shine. Jimmy Butler, like he has done ever since his Golden State Warriors arrival, elevated the Dubs to an upset postseason win.
The Warriors went into their own first round series as the seventh seed against the second best team in the Western Conference this season. Although seeding wise viewed as an underdog, the championship pedigree of a Stephen Curry, Butler and Draymond Green trio is a nightmare matchup for the Houston Rockets.
They may be quickly rising in the NBA landscape, but the Rockets are young and inexperienced.
Both of those notions were on full display during Golden State’s Game 1 victory on the road. And to continue pouring salt in the wounds of Heat fans, Butler submitted a classic “Playoff Jimmy” performance.
Jimmy Butler is the first Warriors player to have 25+ PTS & 5+ STL in their playoff debut. pic.twitter.com/SwRKBWfSnT
— Real Sports (@realapp_) April 21, 2025
Butler is still capable of stepping up when it matters the most in his age-35 season. And the Heat had this same version of Butler during the first half of this season. He displayed flashes of dominance with Miami earlier, even with the contract extension cloud surrounding him and the team. In an overtime loss to the Detroit Pistons a few months ago, he put up an elite 35/19/10 triple-double for Miami.
It was the last true Butler performance as a member of Heat, as the trade reports only got more intense shortly after.
In the Warriors’ play-in win over the Memphis Grizzlies more recently, he led them with a stellar and efficient 38-point masterclass— willing his new squad into the NBA playoff picture. He added seven rebounds, six assists and three steals on 60% shooting in the victory.
Regardless of the off-court antics that Butler displayed during the end of his Heat tenure, he is still a playoff riser who assuredly moves the needle on a championship team. And it is no coincidence to see Golden State’s 2024-25 campaign with an entirely different trajectory as soon as he came aboard.
Instead of his postseason superstardom complementing the growth of All-Star Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo, Butler will have a legit shot at building Curry’s legacy with another title. A potential championship would be Curry’s fifth ring and Butler’s long-overdue first.
The likes of “Playoff Jimmy” was able to carry multiple underperforming Heat rosters, as each a fifth and eighth seed, all the way to the NBA Finals.
Miami’s core during the Butler era was always just one piece away. Now he has that piece and then some playing alongside the greatest shooter of all-time.
It remains to be seen if he and Curry can get over that hump together. But the one thing certain is that Miami could have used a player of Butler’s caliber during this playoff run.