Things can change in an instant in the NBA. The Warriors were painfully reminded of that on Monday night.
As Golden State was battling with the Heat at the Chase Center, All-Star forward Jimmy Butler suddenly crumpled to the ground in pain after coming down with an offensive rebound. The veteran star made several of his teammates crack a smile with a few jokes on his way off the floor, but his strong spirit couldn’t stop the worst news from coming a few hours later—Butler suffered a torn ACL. His season is over. Indeed, at 36 years old, it may prove a fatal blow to Butler’s long-standing place among the NBA’s most productive two-way players. Other ripple effects will be plentiful, and some won’t be fully realized for months or even years.
