The Golden State Warriors continue to put on a show on and off the court. On the court, Golden State rode a first-half eruption from sharpshooter Buddy Hield and strong second halves from Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler to a series-clinching 103–89 win over the Houston Rockets in Game 7 of the first round series on Sunday. Off the court, the Warriors resemble a sitcom thanks to the antics between Butler and Hield.
Butler gets a kick out of giving Hield a hard time, so seeing the veteran guard score a game-high 33 points to help lead Golden State to victory put him in a tough spot.
Immediately after the game, Butler was not prepared to go so far as to give Hield credit, so he resorted to legal measures when asked if Hield's performance was praiseworthy.
"I plead the Fifth."
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) May 5, 2025
Jimmy isn't ready to give Buddy any credit 😂 pic.twitter.com/B66AX5naak
When it was time for Butler's postgame press conference, Hield was ready. Butler had previously likened himself as Robin to Curry's Batman. Well, in Hield's eyes, he had supplanted Butler, whom he jokingly called Alfred in an amusing back-and-forth between the two while Butler was attempting to sit at the podium.
Buddy Hield welcomes Jimmy Butler to the podium and the two go back-and-forth
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) May 5, 2025
Hield: “Tell them you’re not Robin no more.” pic.twitter.com/vBj5NSE4Rl
Then, even though you could tell how painful it was for him, Butler eventually gave Hield credit when asked about his performance.
"Buddy gets paid a lot of money to play at a high level. Buddy was Buddy tonight. Good for you Buddy," Butler deadpanned before getting serious. "No Buddy was huge. But we know the type of basketball player that he is. And he's a tough cover for sure whenever he's making shots. But he made so many right plays on the defensive side of the ball.
"Getting the ball where it needed to be. So Buddy was really, really, really big for us tonight."
Butler and Hield go together like orange juice and toothpaste, but the yin and yang dynamic is working just fine for the Warriors, who will advance to the conference semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Game 1 tips off on Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. ET.
More NBA Playoffs on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jimmy Butler Reluctantly Gave Buddy Hield Credit for Warriors Win.
