It happened out of nowhere, early in the first quarter of Game 2 — just when the Warriors were settling into a rhythm and looking to build on their Game 1 win in Houston. Jimmy Butler, as he's done a thousand times, went up for a routine rebound. But this time, Rockets rookie Amen Thompson came flying in from underneath, lost his footing in the crowd, and undercut Butler in midair. 

Jimmy crashed down hard on his tailbone, slamming into the hardwood with a thud you could hear over the broadcast. Butler stayed down, slapped the court in pain, and hobbled straight to the tunnel. A pelvis contusion was the in‑game call, but you could see it on Kerr’s face: nobody was buying “just a bruise.”

Two days later, the MRI finally brought good (ish) news — no fracture, just a deep glute muscle contusion. “Best‑case scenario,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on air, noting that it could’ve been a broken hip or tailbone like the one that shelved Chet Holmgren back in his rookie year.

The Injury in Plain English

A glute contusion is essentially a deep bruise inside the biggest muscle group you sit on. There’s no tidy bandage fix—just rest, ice, and an uncomfortable amount of soft‑tissue work. Injury guru Jeff Stotts dug through two decades of NBA data and found an average absence of 5.2 days, basically a game and a half. 

But averages don’t play in April. Kevin Love missed five playoff games with one back in 2018. Jimmy himself powered through a similar bruise during Miami’s 2023 run and never sat a night. This stuff is less science, more pain threshold.

Life Without Jimmy — At Least for a Minute

Game 3 isn’t until Saturday night, and right now, Butler’s listed as questionable. Not much more to say — it's all going to come down to how he feels after a couple more days of treatment. Kerr straight up said if Jimmy can’t go, they’ll have to "rethink everything" — rotations, starting five, all of it. They might even have to roll out some lineups that haven’t seen the court since before New Year's.

The quick fixes aren’t clean. Draymond’s gotta take the toughest wing matchups now, which zaps some of his juice for playmaking. He’ll slide to small-ball five even more, which means Kevon Looney’s 11-rebound safety net is off the floor a lot. And most important: every Rocket from Dillon Brooks to Fred VanVleet is going to load up on Curry 45 feet from the hoop.

You’d love to lean on the bench, but Brandin Podziemski is still a rookie, Moses Moody hasn’t gotten real playoff burn yet, and Pat Spencer isn’t exactly your go-to for instant offense in a playoff series. Houston’s young legs want to run — and without Butler soaking up pressure, the Warriors have to slow it down just to survive.

So… Can Jimmy Actually Play Through This?

Butler’s track record says yes — dude played through a sprained ankle the size of a grapefruit in the 2020 bubble and still dropped 40 in the Finals. The question is how effective he can be. Every move Butler makes starts with the hips: opening angles to drive, planting to elevate, absorbing contact on finishes. If that glute won’t fire, his burst dips and his footwork gets half a beat slower.

Right now, it’s all about how much Jimmy can manage. Even if he suits up, it’s not like he’s going to be anywhere close to 100%. The kind of injury he’s dealing with doesn’t just magically feel better overnight. It’s going to be about gutting it out, finding ways to be effective without putting himself in a spot to make it worse. And if he can't find that extra gear, the Warriors are going to feel it fast — because without Jimmy, everything they’ve built the last few months suddenly feels a whole lot shakier.

The Real Stakes for Butler

The trade for Butler was Golden State admitting the two‑timeline plan was toast. They shipped out future assets to split the Steph load now—because 36‑year‑old MVPs aren’t promised tomorrows. If Butler’s stuck at 70% the rest of this run, the Warriors might still claw by Houston, but a second‑round date with the Lakers' offense or the Timberwolves' lengthy wings becomes a nightmare.

There’s also the contract angle. Butler’s got a $52 million player option for next season, and how this run plays out could definitely factor into what he decides. He’s looked energized since coming over and seems to really love playing alongside Steph — you can see it in the way he’s embraced the Warriors' style. If they make a real push, it’s hard to imagine him wanting to leave. But if things go south early, it might make the decision a little tougher than anyone expected back in March.

With or Without Jimmy, It’s Go Time

Butler hasn’t said much publicly, but he did post a black-and-white photo of a grizzly bear with the caption, “Tell ’em I’ll be hungry soon.” His agent followed that up with a text to Marc Spears saying, “Pray for the bear.” It’s classic Butler — keeping things cryptic, throwing out just enough to get people talking, and letting the speculation swirl.

Truth is, nobody outside the locker room really knows what we’re going to see in Game 3. The Warriors haven’t had to wonder about Butler’s availability since he arrived, and now it’s a whole different energy. If he can tough it out, even at 70%, that changes the whole equation. If not, Steph’s going to need one of those vintage nights — and even that might not be enough.

Either way, it’s going to be a ride. This team’s identity changed the moment Butler got here. Now they’ve got to figure out who they are when he’s not.