Jimmy's Toughness!

Butler's offense in regulation was full of skill.

But when it came to crunch time, when the team truly needed him—

Even knowing how difficult it would be to score, he still attacked decisively.

He would shoulder a leader's responsibilities as much as possible, using every skill he had to play every offensive and defensive possession well.

He did not know whether they would win.

But he would give it everything he had.

That was Jimmy Butler—a tough guy, admired and loved by others.

Beep! Beep!

Butler attacked forcefully once again, drawing a Lakers foul and stepping to the Free Throw line.

But he was a little unlucky, missing both free throws.

It was fine.

He made up for it on the defensive end, limiting the Lakers' offense.

Then, on the offensive end, he hit a pull-up mid-range jumper... for 2 points.

Four minutes of rotation time.

Butler played especially well tonight, making astonishing contributions on both ends of the floor.

Almost by himself, he helped the team cut a seven-point deficit down to just one.

It made Coach D'Antoni see him in a new light.

He began paying attention to this unremarkable rookie who had just entered the league.

The Lakers called a timeout, and both teams' Starting lineups returned.

Kobe immediately used a signature Fadeaway jump shot to get the team 2 points.

The moment the Black Mamba took the court, the effect was immediate.

Offense turned into defense.

Curry brought the ball up, and before he had even fully set up at the top of the key, Paul pressed up on him and put intense defensive pressure on Curry.

He seemed to want to cause Curry trouble on the defensive end.

To embarrass him, so that their matchup would end with his own victory.

Curry did not