Jimmy Butler’s era with the Golden State Warriors had a strong start on Saturday night with a 132-111 victory over the Chicago Bulls. The Warriors ended up fleeing with the victory, but it was not without some theater after up to 24 points were delayed in the first half.
But Warriors’ fans received an ancient performance from Stephen Curry in the third quarter, when he scored 24 of his 34 points to erase Chicago’s advantage. He drained five triples, each more ridiculous than the previous one. 3s direct, flying around a screen and letting it fly from its fast release, falling while the ball sank at the bottom of the network, moving away from the basket before the ball touched the edge, whatever. It was the classic curry.
Curry got the Warriors on the hump and back to the front, but Butler got Golden State on the finish line in the last quarter. I was pressing the Bulls in Defense, facilitating the configuration of good looks for teammates and reaching the edge and the line of free throws with relative ease to put the game out of reach. In his first game like Warriors, Butler ended with 25 points, four assists, two rebounds, a robbery, a block and it was 7 of 12 from the floor.
The All-Star striker, who for the first time in his career put a shirt that had “Butler III” on the back Honor his father Who died a year ago today, lived in the free throw line, where he was 11 by 13, getting into painting at will and taking advantage of Chicago’s porous defense. It is exactly what Butler stands out and adds a new facet to Golden State’s offense as someone who can penetrate the edge and create for himself.
After the game, Curry talked about how Butler’s game contrasts his.
“It’s like the exact player of me, which is fun.” Curry said. “Shot 16 3, he shot one. He arrived a lot to the free throw line. He dominated the painting, dominated the perimeter. The boys who work around us have the potential to be a lot of fun.”
Having someone like Butler, whose strength is in part their ability to reach the free throw line, will do wonders for a Warriors team that occupies the 27th position in free throw attempts, and the last percentage of free throws. Butler is constantly located near the top of the league in both categories, and now Golden State will benefit from that.
Curry and Butler are different in more ways than only their game styles. Butler has built a career in having a burning personality, open behavior and hard personality like the nails on the court. Curry is the most reserved leader, who never makes waves, but instills fear in the base of fans of an opposite team every time it sets on fire from the range of 3 points.
“They say that opposites attract in many ways in life, and I don’t think it can be a better complement to him and vice versa, in the sense that they do not leave it [open on the 3-point line] Always, probably two people would never leave it “, Butler said. “So there is a lot of space for everyone else, and I get easy work. I am playing one by one or playing with so much space. They all look for or seek to open it, and at the same time they are looking for everyone else.
The victory on Saturday night was an important box to mark a team of Warriors that was desperate to find an All-Star level talent to match Curry for the rest of the season and the near future. It is possible that Butler has not been Golden State’s first option, since he tried to chase Kevin Durant, but the first results show that this adjustment can more than work for the Warriors.
Butler left a tumultuous situation with the Miami Heat, which ended in suspensions and a fractured relationship with the president of the Pat Riley team. Now he has a new beginning with the Warriors, one that Golden State coach Steve Kerr, looking forward to.
“Very fun to have Jimmy in our team”, Kerr said. “He is an incredible player. The ability to obtain a foul, the game solves. But I am very impressed with his death, I only think his step changes everything, connects the game and does it from anywhere … goes further Of that, it is his presence.
