that means Jimmy Butler<\/a>. He flirted with a triple-double in Game 1 as he finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists in 41 minutes.<\/p>\nButler loves the spotlight. He has played along with being Robin to Curry\u2019s Batman this season, but everyone knows that he is an alpha at heart. Look for him to try to take control in Game 2.<\/p>\n
Will it work? That\u2019s the harder question to answer.<\/p>\n
Minnesota is a great defensive team despite showing some breakdowns in Game 1. The Timberwolves will be desperate to salvage a game at home before the series shifts west, and coach Chris Finch almost certainly will draw up a game plan to try to frustrate Butler as much as possible.<\/p>\n
If Robin becomes Batman, as Green explained, then Alfred will need to fill Robin\u2019s role. In this case, that means Buddy Hield will be asked to step up and fill some of the void left by Curry.<\/p>\n
Hield has shown he can handle the extra responsibilities. He scored 33 points on 12-for-15 shooting \u2014 including 9-for-11 from 3-point range \u2014 in Game 7 at Houston, and he stayed hot on Tuesday night with a team-high 24 points while making five of eight shots from distance.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s reasonable to think that Hield will cool off soon, perhaps as soon as Game 2. He\u2019s a good shooter, but he averaged 11.1 points during the regular season, and at some point one would think he would regress to the mean.<\/p>\n
Green left himself out of the Batman description, but clearly he is the villain in any show. He had a strong series opener in which he finished with 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists.<\/p>\n
Perhaps equally as important, Green played with an edge but stayed careful not to go over the edge. He will have to take that approach again Thursday, especially if the action intensifies and the Timberwolves try to beat him at his own game by getting under his skin.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s too soon to know if Curry will be back in the series and, if so, how soon.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t count out the Warriors, though.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n
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