The Golden State Warriors took a gamble when they traded for Jimmy Butler, and so far, it’s paying off. Since his arrival, the team has been on fire, racking up a 12-1 record and looking like legitimate title contenders. On Monday night against the Portland Trail Blazers, Butler once again showed flashes of his playoff-caliber talent, making history in a Warriors jersey. But just before the final buzzer, he and the Warriors found themselves at the center of controversy.
Every sport has its unwritten rules and codes of conduct that players are expected to follow out of respect for the game and their opponents. In baseball, you don’t steal bases when leading by a huge margin. In the NFL, defenses rarely blitz when a game is already decided. But on this night, Butler and Steve Kerr ignored one of basketball’s long-standing unwritten rules, sparking a heated debate in the NBA world. What do you think of this action, is it right or wrong?
Breaking the code of the unwritten rule
In life and in sports, unwritten rules exist to uphold sportsmanship, respect, and honor. They ensure that even in competition, there’s a level of mutual understanding between rivals. When these rules are broken, they stir emotions-not because they change the outcome, but because they feel unnecessary. Monday night’s moment was one of those instances.
Despite already securing the win, Butler’s last-second shot went against NBA tradition. But as it turns out, Butler wasn’t acting alone; his coach had given him the green light. Watching the replay, it’s clear Butler looked to Kerr before making his move, and the coach gave his approval.
The game was already in hand for the Warriors, leading by 11 points in the final seconds. Most teams in this situation would let the clock wind down out of respect for their opponents. But Butler had other plans. With no defender in sight, he rose up and drained an uncontested jumper just before the shot clock expired, extending the lead to 13. The decision instantly drew reactions from the Blazers’ bench and fans in the arena.
“I told him we don’t skip shot clock possessions, you know? So if there’s a time difference, we always shoot,” Kerr explained postgame. “At the end of the game, he caught it, looked at me, and I told him, ‘Shoot it!’ He said ‘Alright’ and took the shot.”
Kerr doubled down on his stance, adding, “Some teams just turn the ball over, but I don’t think you should ever do that. And I don’t think anybody should take offense. If there’s time on the shot clock, you take the shot. If the shot clock is off, then yeah, you run the time out.”
With nobody contesting him, Butler took the easy bucket, and in doing so, made a statement: these Warriors play until the final whistle. Whether fans in Portland liked it or not, Butler was simply following Kerr’s philosophy. And while the controversy might linger, Butler’s performance once again proved why Golden State made the trade he’s built for big moments, and he’s not afraid to stir the pot along the way.
