In eight playoff games, the Golden State Warriors have held their opponents to under 95 points a total of four times, all of which produced wins. That is of no coincidence, considering that defense has been their calling card ever since the arrival of Jimmy Butler to the Bay Area.
Opponents scored just 109.9 points per 100 possessions in 31 regular season games with Butler in the fold — the best defense over that period, per Cleaning The Glass, which eliminates garbage time/low-leverage minutes from their tracking data. Butler’s reputation as a versatile defensive wing who can guard the ball, roam off of it, and jump passing lanes certainly has lived up to the Warriors’ expectations — but it’s as if a culture shift was enacted upon his arrival.