When I was a really little kid, I remember being at a park next to a nearby high school and going down a slide. These were metal slides rather than the plastic ones, and this was a really big slide. At least it was to me at the time. So it was higher and slicker than usual slides, so I slid down way faster than I expected and kind of launched off the end because I wasn’t able to stop myself.
I landed on my butt really hard. It hurt for a few days afterward. I’m not sure I told anybody at the time because I don’t think I could find a way to say “my butt hurts in a really weird way” in a fashion that didn’t make little kid me feel too awkward. Maybe if I knew the word "tailbone" I could have storied from there and built my way up.
Fun story, right? Hurt real bad. Anyway, what happened to Jimmy Butler looked worse.
I would like the Jimmy Butler injury update now, please
Golden State's Jimmy Butler has been diagnosed with a deep glute muscle contusion and his status for Game 3 against the Houston Rockets is in serious jeopardy, league sources tell ESPN. This is best case because MRI showed Butler avoided any fracture or structural damage. pic.twitter.com/nTEjv4QKp7
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 25, 2025
The first thing I noticed reading this tweet was the severe mood whiplash in the middle of it. Just this part:
“...his status for Game 3 against the Houston Rockets is in serious jeopardy… This is best case because…”
That very much stopped me in my tracks. Why is Jimmy Butler’s ability to play being in serious jeopardy the best case, Shams? What nonsense are you going to say next?
But it turns out, no. Because Shams’ favorite class was lunch and not English, the good news is that there is no fracture or structural damage.
That’s a really good thing. I mean, if you haven’t seen it, then look. It’s not gruesome like a bone breaking or an ankle twisting. It’s just like “Boom. Owwwwww.”
See? Way worse than falling off a slide. It’s good to know there looks to be no long term damage. The Warriors have been my one order below amazing since Butler arrived via trade. They’re one of the many teams in the west that would elicit a “Yeah. I get it.” type response if they made it to the NBA Finals.
They are the underdog in the series, despite taking home court advantage from the Rockets in the first two games. They just could really, really use Jimmy Butler. Hoping for his health first and his return to play second.