Jimmy Butler continues to be a true basketball psycho.
The Golden State Warriors star Butler went viral during Tuesday’s 7-8 Western Conference play-in game against the Memphis Grizzlies for a ruthless move. During the first half, Grizzlies interim coach Tuomas Iisalo opted to have rookie center Zach Edey guard Butler (presumably because Butler’s lack of a consistent three-point shot would allow Edey to sag back into the paint).
But the strategic move backfired as Butler simply attacked the basket with a head of steam and either managed to get a midrange bucket or get all the way to the rim against Edey. In just the first half alone, Butler dropped a game-high 21 points (including many with Edey as his primary defender).
After one particular short-range basket in the second quarter, Butler turned to run back up the floor and hit Edey with the “too small” celebration. Check it out.
That was, of course, a very ironic move by Butler because Edey is a giant at 7-foot-4. He is the single tallest active player in the entire NBA and is also tied for the 10th-tallest person to ever play in the league.
But as Butler demonstrated, Edey still was not tall enough to block his shot there (or many of the other shots that Butler managed to put in the basket during the first half). Golden State took a commanding 67-55 advantage into halftime, and Edey got his latest unfortunate moment at the hands of the Warriors this season.
