By James Mario Ajero
Another chance for glory awaits the Golden State Warriors after scoring a 109-106 win against the Houston Rockets in Game 4 of their first-round series in the National Basketball Association.
Now holding a 3-1 lead, the Warriors are on the cusp of making it into the second round of the 2025 NBA playoffs with their newest player in tow: Jimmy Butler.
‘Playoff Jimmy’
Though known for his hustler mentality in the regular games, Butler is a different beast altogether in the playoffs as seen in his increased court production and playing minutes in the quarterfinals of the league.
The Houston-born player has produced solid regular-season averages of 18.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists over 869 games, but these numbers get a bump as soon as the quarterfinals begin with Butler averaging 21.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 4.6 assists in 121 career playoff games.
It was his stint with Miami Heat that officially earned him the moniker “Playoff Jimmy,” where he averaged 24.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists in 64 playoff games.
Butler, who was not able to play in Game 3 due to a pelvic contusion, made the Rockets pay by dropping 27 points in his return.
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‘Chef Curry’
Undoubtedly the greatest player to ever wear a Golden State jersey, Steph Curry remains the true leader of the Warriors with his impeccable shooting skill serving as the most elite asset of the team.
Curry also had a rich history with Houston too, being one of the main thorns in the side of the Rockets’ aspirations for a championship, especially during the James Harden-Chris Paul era.
In his career, Curry has unleashed an average of 24.8 points, 6.8 assists, and 4.7 rebounds against Houston.
Prior to the 2025 playoffs, Curry also helped the Warriors send the Rockets out of the Western Conference semifinals in 2019 after six grueling games.
In Monday’s Game 4, however, Curry had a humble game of 17 points, going 2/8 from the three-point range in 39 minutes of playing time.
Despite the Rockets leading by seven in the second half, it was an 18-1 run from Golden State that knocked the wind out of the Texas squad.
Young guns against veterans
The series might be an uphill battle, but all is not lost yet for the Rockets, as Thursday’s Game 5 could very well be a catalyst for a potential grand comeback.
With the series returning to Houston, the Rockets will be playing with a home court advantage.
While the Warriors boast grizzled veterans like Curry and Butler, youth is on the Rockets’ side.
22-year-old Alperen Sengun has already immortalized himself in the history of Houston basketball, collecting 31 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and zero turnovers in Game 4.
To put it into perspective, the only big men to ever make a comparable stat line are Nikola Jokic, Shaquille O’Neal, and Patrick Ewing.
With that said, there is still another player that needs to sort himself out before the series ends: Jalen Green.
From having 38 points in Game 2, Green’s production has hit a setback, scoring just 8 points in 25 minutes on 3-of-8 shooting.
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