NBA Playoffs 2017: 5 things we learned from Warriors beating Trail Blazers
By Dre Elder
1. There’s more to JaVale McGee than Shaqtin’ a Fool
Not long ago, there was a very public feud between Javale McGee and Shaquille O’Neal. McGee took exception to being commonly included on TNT’s Shaqtin a Fool segment. You might recall Shaq unveiling an all-Javale McGee segment a couple months ago.
We could all agree JaVale McGee has made more than his fair share of questionable mistakes on the court. But, that edition felt like overkill. Nonetheless, McGee has been noticeably better since the feud. Especially, against the Trail Blazers in the opening round.
McGee averaged 9.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game. Most impressively, the Warriors were 48 points better when McGee was on the floor in this series. He was on the floor for a total of roughly 48 minutes. The nine-year veteran spent much of the last few years warming benches for various teams. Now, he’s a key cog on a championship contender. He brings a great deal of energy and athleticism off the bench. He patrols the paint and sometimes ignites the Warriors’ transition attack. Draymond Green repeatedly found him for bone-crushing lob finishes at the rim throughout the series.
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Of course the competition will get stiffer and that’s when McGee will be scrutinized. He’s playing limited minutes, but he’s fully capitalizing on them. We will soon find out where the mean is with McGee. Right now, you have to admit he looks like a force on both ends for Golden State. And if JaVale McGee continues having more impact than the opposing bigs, go ahead and close the curtains.