If you go back to the 2018 NBA Finals, you would recall Steph Curry’s registering the most 3-pointers in a Finals game. You would also reminisce about LeBron James being an absolute beast and dropping 51 points in Game 1. But that particular game also had a contentious moment involving Warriors guard Shaun Livingston and Cleveland forward Tristan Thompson. It wasn’t a cheap foul or some unnecessary trash talking but with the shot clock winding down, Livingston took an open mid-range jumper with five seconds left in overtime, with his team sitting on a 10-point lead. Livingston broke an unspoken rule in the NBA and Thompson contested the call. Afterward, Steve Kerr dismissed the notion that it was disrespectful to the opposition, having stressed to his team not to willingly take a shot-clock violation. Nearly eight years later, Kerr remains steadfast in his tactics.

Since signing Jimmy Butler, the Warriors have been pretty much unstoppable. Kerr, who said that Butler’s inclusion was meant to alleviate some pressure from Steph Curry, cannot help but sing praises of the former Miami Heat man. The team has gone 12-1 since his arrival and on Monday against the Blazers, Butler yet again showed a glimpse of the ‘Playoff Jimmy,’ as he made history in a Warriors jersey. But one moment seconds before the final whistle landed him and the Warriors in some hot waters.

Despite his team being up by 11 points and closing in on a certain victory, Butler broke the unspoken NBA rule – shooting a non-contested jumper instead of running out the clock with his team well ahead. While it seemed the player took the initiative himself, turns out Steve Kerr motivated him to commit the act in the first place. Looking closely at the replay, you can clearly see Butler looking at Kerr for approval before taking that shot. The head coach acknowledged it post-game.

I told him, we don’t do shot clock violations, you know. So, if there is a shot clock differential, we always shoot. So, at the end of the game, he caught it, and he looked at me, and I said, ‘Shoot.’ He said ‘okay’ and he shot it,” Kerr answered after being asked whether he had a word with Butler after he took the jump shot uncontested.

Clarifying his stance further, he added, “Some teams take the turnover, I just don’t believe that you should ever take a turnover. And I don’t think anybody should be offended. If you take a shot if there’s time on the shot clock. If the shot clock’s off, yeah, then you run out the clock.” 

With no one guarding him, Butler drained the easy two and extended the Warriors’ lead to 13 points. In such situations, most teams do not mind running out the clock and adding a turnover to their column. However, the Warriors are not one of those teams, and Butler realized it last night as the message from Kerr was loud and clear and he had no problem following the instructions.

“I was just clarifying with Jimmy that we don’t take turnovers here, we shoot. He said, ‘Okay. I got you.’” Kerr added. When Butler took the shot, some Portland players were miffed by his actions as they had left him alone not thinking that he would dunk in on them. Following Butler’s shot, Blazers’ Anfernee Simons seemingly annoyed went up the other end and scored a 3-pointer of his own. Well, Kerr is clear about how he runs things, and while this may come off as disrespectful in some circles, this is how things have always been at the Warriors.

Back in 2018, Tristan Thompson expressed his displeasure at the Warriors not paying heed and going ahead with an uncontested shot. Thompson protested it and was later removed from the game. “I contested a shot that shouldn’t have been taken. It’s like the unspoken rule in theNBA: ‘If you’re up by 10 or 11 with about 20 seconds left, you don’t take that shot.’ I made the contest, and next thing I know I was being kicked out for making a contest that we learn in training camp. I don’tknow why I got thrown out,” Thompson said.

But at that time, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant made it clear that this is what they have been doing all along and don’t mean any disrespect. “It’s no disrespect to any other team. It’s just what we do. We don’t want to take the turnover. We take the shot. So we’ve been doing that all year, since I’ve been here, too,” Durant said.

Top Comment by Paul

If the shot clock is running out and the ball will go over to the other team. Then shoot it!

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While the decision by Butler may not have gone down well especially in Portland, his stunning performance overshadowed everything else on the night.

Jimmy Butler creates history with first triple-double in the Warriors uniform

Apart from breaking the unwritten rule, Butler had a memorable night. He scored his first triple-double in a Warriors uniform, with 15 points, 10 assists, and 10 rebounds. Not only that, he etched his name in the history books by becoming the fastest Warriors star to record a triple-double since Rick Barry in 1972, as per StatMamba.

While it took Barry nine games to achieve that feat, Jimmy did it in 13.

When he arrived in Golden State, Kerr had hoped that he would take some pressure off from Curry and eventually aid their playoff bid. To no one’s surprise that is exactly what he has done. He has made a massive contribution to turn around the franchise’s season and pushed them to the sixth seed in the West standings. Even Stephen Curry has found a new energy playing alongside a superstar like Butler. Just last night, he scored 24 points in the win.

On Saturday, when Butler helped the Warriors overcome the Pistons, Kerr was full of praise for him, admitting to see shades of ‘Playoff Jimmy.’

“This is part of the Jimmy dynamic, he’s built for these kind of games. He just gets the ball and he’ll get us a shot and he’ll get to the line and he’ll take big shots. ‘Playoff Jimmy’ is a real thing, and in some ways that felt like a playoff game,” the HC said.

With Butler on fire and a motivate Steph Curry, the Warriors seem unstoppable. If the Bay Area team continues this dominant run, they can even crack the top five seed, which will massively boost their chances in the playoffs. How far do you think Butler can take the Warriors?