Jimmy Butler reminds us that he's not human, says he doesn't need breathers
Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau, for all the praise and accolades, is often criticized for his insistence on overplaying his starters.
Exhibit A: shooting guard Jimmy Butler. During the regular season, Butler averaged 38.7 minutes played per game, which ranked a smidgen below Carmelo Anthony for tops in the league.
Through the first two games of the playoffs, that average has bumped up to 48.4 thanks in part to Game 1, which had to be settled in overtime.
However, despite the tremendous amount of wear and tear on his body, Butler isn't worried. In fact, he's not even interested in the occasional breather.
Would Butler like a short breather? "Nah, I don’t think I need breathers. I’ll be all right."
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) April 25, 2014
Of course, Butler did feign humanity, and show weakness, but only momentarily.
Does Butler feel fatigued? "I do. I’m not going to lie about that. But that’s only a mental state."
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) April 25, 2014
The Bulls face the Wizards on Friday evening in Game 3 of the series. With the Wizards holding a commanding 2-0 series lead, look for Thibodeau to play Butler as much as usual. Like a fire blanket, Butler's role will be to smother whichever Wizards player catches fire.