NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS: TIMBERWOLVES VS WARRIORS

May 10, 2025

Jimmy Butler

Golden State Warriors

Game 3 - Postgame Media Conference

Minnesota Timberwolves 102, Golden State Warriors 97.

Q. You guys had a five-point lead early in the fourth quarter, and kind of went bad from there. What did you see happening at the close of the game?

JIMMY BUTLER: Probably just didn't get the shots we wanted to get, turned the ball over a few times, didn't contest shots, didn't take the three out of the game, and that was it.

Q. How did the game change when Draymond picked up his fourth and then his sixth foul?

JIMMY BUTLER: I mean, obviously he's one of the top defenders in the world. For sure the best defender on this squad.

You know, when he's out, it is just different. You don't got nobody back there that's quarterbacking the way that he does it; that can switch everything, and that get every loose ball and that can rebound. Even whenever he come out, we've still got to be better.

Q. Steve talked about the importance of the defense overall without Steph on the floor. What did you think of the overall performance?

JIMMY BUTLER: I think we were better than our last game. We still didn't get many loose balls and 50/50 balls as we talked about getting. But overall we did get better. It just wasn't good enough.

Q. Obviously much different team without Steph. What's the main difference, and how close do you think you are to being in sync without Steph?

JIMMY BUTLER: We're all right. Obviously with Steph out there, he demands two to three bodies when he's out there on the floor.

When he's not, there's no room for error. You can't make mistakes. You can't turn the ball over. You can't give back all of those things. And then you've got to take the right shots. You've got to move the ball the right way. Because he's the one individual for sure on this team, and maybe in the league, that can make sure you're never out of any game.

So like I said, we just got to be better and limit our mistakes.

Q. What do you take out of this game going into Game 4? Are there encouraging things that you take out of it?

JIMMY BUTLER: Yeah, yeah, of course, that we can compete without Steph. We're still as confident as ever. We going to go back to the film and the drawing boards and figure it out, and come back in here on Monday and give this thing to 2-2.

Q. You took 26 shots, obviously more aggressive taking them. Was that just a mindset you have in this one that you're going to have to put up a volume of shots, and how do you think your night went?

JIMMY BUTLER: I mean, I don't care how many shots I shoot. I don't care how many points I score. If it's not towards winning, none of that ever matters.

So you know, 26 shots, 36 shots, next time, it has to be in a win.

Q. 43 minutes. Are you feeling 43 minutes?

JIMMY BUTLER: Yeah, for sure. I wish I could have played like 48, though, back in my Chicago days. Whatever the squad needs for me to do, I've got to be able to do it.

You know, I train to be able to play a large amount of minutes and do it in an effective way. But I've got all the trust in Steve and the coaching staff and everybody else to make sure that I'm going to be ready. So 43 it is; 43 we got.

Q. How much do you have to take Steph out of your mind as far as just thinking about the series without him, or how much of you is thinking get a win to make sure you can get him back?

JIMMY BUTLER: It's always get a win. If we don't win, we don't worry about getting Steph back this year. We have to put our big boy pants on and go out and compete at a high level and get this one on Monday and we can worry about the next one after that. Get some rest, recover, dominos, coffee, kids.

Q. After the last game you said you and JK can thrive together, and tonight you guys did just that. What did you like from him tonight in his aggression?

JIMMY BUTLER: Everything. Shooting the ball when he's open, attacking being, getting to the free throw line. It's a beautiful site to see.

Like I tell everybody, me and him can thrive together. I know how to space the floor. I can tell him, hey, when I have the ball, you go here and you do this. We talk, we listen to one another, and then he has an incredible game like tonight, and he did so many good things out there on the floor. I know that he's going to be a huge part of us winning on Monday.

Q. Your role tonight was very similar to what your role was in the past, especially those Miami teams. How is your mindset changed from there to here?

JIMMY BUTLER: It hasn't changed. I know who I am as a player. I know what's needed of me on any given night so to speak and it can change depending on who is in and out of the lineup.

But it doesn't matter what part of my career I was in. If it doesn't go towards winning, then it's all a waste. So whether I'm the player now or who I was X amount of years ago, we didn't win tonight, so none of that ever matters.

Q. What do you expect the desperation and the urgency to feel like on Monday when you guys are back on the floor this year?

JIMMY BUTLER: We straight. I'm not going to tell my guys to be desperate or any more urgent than anything. You go out there and you play basketball and you hoop, and you leave all the noise up to myself, to Dray, to Steph, and to the coaching staff. Go out there and you do exactly what you're doing. You're doing great. The guys know that.

Q. How would you describe the challenge of scoring against a team like Minnesota with so many long, athletic guys in the way?

JIMMY BUTLER: Yeah, scoring is never the problem. I think 97 can win in the playoffs. It's us on the other end. We've got to stop them from scoring. We have got to not turn the ball over. We've got to get back.

I definitely think we can score with the best of them, but we have got to be able to guard with the best of them as well.