Jimmy Butler Says He Loves 'Having a Target On My Back' with Warriors in NBA Playoffs

After making his playoff debut for the Golden State Warriors in Tuesday night's 121-116 win over the Memphis Grizzlies in the play-in tournament, star forward Jimmy Butler is embracing being on a team that the rest of the league is chasing.

"I love having a target on my back," Butler told The Athletic's Sam Amick when asked about this experience of keeping the younger contenders at bay. "I think I’ve had it the last couple of years over in the East, and (the Warriors) are gonna always have it, until 30 (Stephen Curry) and 23 (Draymond Green) are gone out this motherf--ker. They’re always gonna be the squad to beat. Everybody always fears them. Everybody always knows that they’re not out of any game, out of any series, and I love to be a part of it."

Butler is known for elevating his production in the postseason, and he wasted no time in bringing out "Playoff Jimmy" for the Warriors.

He poured in a game-high 38 points on 12-of-20 shooting while adding seven rebounds, six assists and three steals. The Warriors led by as many as 20 points before the Grizzlies fought back to make things close, but Butler helped stave off the comeback alongside Curry, who added 37 points in the victory.

The 35-year-old told B/R last month that he didn't plan on adjusting his style of play during the postseason, and he lived up to his word. Despite sharing the floor with four-time NBA champions in Curry and Green, Butler feels that he can spearhead Golden State's run through the playoffs, and he reiterated to Amick that he won't change his game as he tries to help the team make another trip to the NBA Finals.

"I ain’t scared of nobody. You know me. I’m not scared of nobody. I know what I’m capable of," Butler said. "Like I always say, now is the time to show it, but I know what they’re capable of more than anything. When you’ve got some hellified ballers in there that are confident, that accept their role, and they do whatever we ask them to do to win, man, that’s hard to beat. That’s very hard to beat."

Butler and the Warriors will face a new challenge when they face the rising, young Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs. Game 1 is set for Sunday night at 9:30 pm ET on TNT.