Jimmy Butler didn’t shy away from accountability after the Golden State Warriors failed to close out the Houston Rockets in Game 6, falling 115-107 on their home floor.
The 35-year-old forward spoke candidly postgame, acknowledging Fred VanVleet’s momentum-shifting four-point play at the start of the fourth quarter but emphasized that wasn’t the sole reason for the loss.
“Anytime you start out a quarter not organized, not matched up, it’s definitely deflating,” Butler said. “But we’re not going to sit here and say that’s the real reason why we lost.”
Instead, Butler pointed to a familiar issue in the series: hustle and rebounding.
“We got to get these 50-50 balls,” he said. “They’ve gotten the loose balls and they’ve gotten way too many offensive rebounds.”
The Warriors missed 14 of their first 15 shots in the fourth quarter after VanVleet’s three, a drought Butler attributed to pressing.
“We just got to continue to make the right play,” he said. “If somebody’s open, they get the ball… you’re going to find yourself more open more often than not.”
Asked about hustle, Butler dismissed any claim of lacking effort, framing the issue as a matter of will.
“If you want to rebound, if you want to dive on a loose floor, if you want to take a charge — it’s if you want to do it,” he said.
Butler also highlighted an overcorrection in the team’s shot selection.
“You can be way too unselfish. You can be way too passive,” he explained. “If you find your shot and you’re in rhythm, you take it.”
Despite back-to-back losses, Butler’s confidence hasn’t wavered ahead of Game 7 in Houston.
“It’s at an all-time high. Now out of all times,” he said. “We know how good of a team we are.”
Game 7 experience won’t be an issue for Butler, who’s already played in four. He urged his teammates to stay grounded and focus on their game.
“You go out there and you play basketball the way that you know how to play it,” he said. “Game 7 is not the hardest thing in the world.”
Steven Adams’ impact off the bench — 17 points and relentless rebounding — was another focal point. Butler accepted responsibility for matching that physicality.
“You got to jump. You got to get the ball,” he said. “It’s hard. But if you want to win in this league, you definitely got to do some hard things.”
Physically, Butler said he feels “good enough” despite dealing with a tailbone issue.
“I probably got to jump up there and get some more rebounds,” he added. “I’ve been being lazy.”
When asked about outside noise questioning the age and travel burden on Golden State’s core, Butler brushed it off.
“Everybody got to travel the same distance,” he said. “It ain’t like we gonna go around the world and then land in Houston.”
Game 7 is scheduled for Sunday in Houston, with the winner set to face Minnesota in the Western Conference Semifinals.
