Curry, Kerr and Green hail 'big moments' player Butler
Stephen Curry, Steve Kerr and Draymond Green hailed Golden State Warriors' teammate Jimmy Butler after the latter's fine display against the Houston Rockets.
Butler finished with 25 points, seven rebounds and six assists as the Warriors beat the Rockets 95-85 in Game 1 of their opening-round playoff series.
The former Miami Heat star sealed the win for the Warriors on his playoff bow for his new team.
He became the first player to finish with 25 points and five steals on their playoff debut for a team since steals became official in 1973-74.
Curry led the Warriors with 31 points, but he said Butler must take plenty of credit.
"Just a continuation of what it's been like since he's been on our team from February," Curry said.
"He has a knack for big moments, even if it's not him finishing the play, he had a big shot at the elbow. But just the guy that is composed with the ball, he is poised out there, his presence.
"If they're going to swarm and try to take me out of plays, you have a guy that can create a lot of looks.
"He plays way bigger than his size. So, it's obviously a great addition and it has been since February, and we want to continue that."
The Warriors are 25-8 since Butler made his debut in February, while Sunday's win over the Rockets marked Kerr's 100th playoff victory as a coach.
"He has that impact every game," Kerr said of Butler. "He calms things down. He's very confident. He's very poised. He always believes we're going to win.
"Jimmy is one of the best players in the league, and that's what the best players in the league do.
"It's not just about scoring or stats. It's about settling the game down, having the presence and the nature to compete and win games like this."
Jimmy is the first NBA player to have
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) April 21, 2025
25 + PTS
7+ REB
6+ AST
5+ STL
in a Playoff game since.... he did it himself in 2020 pic.twitter.com/KmUjDCCpMl
It was a sentiment echoed by Green, who said: "There were several moments where they cut the lead.
"[But each time we] did a great job of getting Jimmy the ball. It always just settles the offense down.
"That's what we want. And I think we've got to do the better job of making sure we're getting him the ball, but overall, he's such a huge calm force for us. Just calms everything down, get us to our spots and get us a good look."
The Rockets will host Game 2 on Wednesday.
"They're an incredible team," said Butler, who is the first player since he did it himself in 2020 to finish a playoff game with 25+ points, seven or more rebounds, six or more assists and at least five steals.
"Definitely a physical one. But I would like to think that we don't back down from any challenge anyway, and we met brute force with brute force.
"Maybe a little bit of finesse in there, as well. I think we handled their pressure incredibly well knowing that coming out the next game is probably going to be two to three times even more physical."