Jimmy Butler Facing Backlash for Performance in Warriors’ Elimination Game

Some fans seemed to agree.

"'Playoff Jimmy' and its just a weak conference," one user wrote.

"Playoff Jimmy wasn’t a thing in the finals tho ," a second user wrote.

"Hitched their wagon to that bum he fooled the whole Dub nation ," another user wrote.

"He may be," a fourth user wrote. "That 2023 run is kinda overrated too. Caleb Martin was better against the Celtics than he was."

But some fans feel Butler isn't overrated -- they think some simply expect too much from him.

"Not at all," one user wrote. "Just not a 1st option. The the Pippen to an MJ."

"I don’t think he’s overrated, I just don’t think he’s a 1st option," another user wrote. "He’s a really good support piece, same with Draymond for the Warriors specifically, but it’s like having two powerful upgrades for a weapon but you haven’t unlocked the actual weapon ☠️"

Butler came to Golden State from the Miami Heat, a team he transformed from a lottery squad to a contender immediately when he joined them in 2019.

The Heat improbably reached the NBA Finals twice in his first four seasons with them, and they came very close to a third trip to the championship series in 2022. But that unit had run its course, and Butler demanded a trade several months ago.

While he is one of the game's deadliest players in crunch time, he has always been a team player to a fault and usually becomes aggressive in terms of looking for his own shot for long stretches only when necessary.

Golden State's immediate future does look bright with Butler on board. He and Stephen Curry, who went out in Game 1 versus Minnesota with a hamstring strain, should be able to make the team into a legitimate championship contender next season.

It does need more size and a little more firepower off the bench, but other than that, its dynasty does appear to have been resurrected thanks to Butler's arrival.