I could’ve written about Kevin Durant’s 19 third-quarter points, or the straitjacket Draymond Green put on LaMarcus Aldridge in the Western Conference Finals. Both players are incredibly talented individuals and nobody in the NBA can duplicate what they each bring to the table.
There’s no need in writing 800 words about the Spurs. This series was automatically a wash when Kawhi Leonard went down, barring any fair critique from being delivered by snarky columnists. Still, Aldridge might’ve been the wrong play to make in free agency two years ago. Gregg Popovich is 68. Manu Ginobili may retire. Even if Kyle Lowry walks through that door, circumstances aren’t getting any easier for San Antonio.
What’s becoming increasingly clear in the Warriors’ inevitable collision course with the Cleveland Cavaliers is that Durant and Green’s efforts could be cancelled out by LeBron James. The King has never looked this good in his career. Ever. The same can be said about Durant who has never gotten wide open looks like this in Oklahoma City, and Green, who flirts with a triple-double on a nightly basis and has earned the title as the league’s best defender. Smart is on both performing at a high level, which means even if LeBron edges them slightly, they’ll basically cancel each other out. Other matchups will be just as paramount.
Steph Curry and Kyrie Irving comes into focus next on the list — Klay Thompson will likely be checking Irving on defense. If Cleveland’s point guard outplays Steph in consecutive championship bouts, if he comes up with another clutch shot in a deciding Game 7, you can argue the 25-year-old is the best guard in the entire NBA. June is what matters, not the regular season. Now that he’s flanked by Durant, there might be more pressure on Curry than any other player.
With all of this information developing in May, it’ll be an unexpected x-factor that could end up swinging the NBA Finals in June. And as much as that still could be Andre Iguodala, the man whose defense delivered the 2015 title back to the East Bay, it could also be JaVale McGee. He’s become unquestionably one of the best 2016 offseason acquisitions by any team in the NBA.
Feasting on Tristan Thompson won’t be as easy for McGee, but this postseason has made it clear he’s no longer just some alley-oop specialist. McGee has blossomed into one of Golden State’s irreplaceable assets. Nobody else on the roster can bring this amount of energy, this amount of quick-scoring and this amount of athleticism.
McGee has silenced Shaq and other longtime critics this season and that muting continued on Saturday. Filling in for Zaza Pachulia (heel contusion), McGee baffled the fundamentally sound Spurs in the post for 16 first half points in 13 total minutes. It was his fourth postseason game scoring double-figures. He has now proved capable of creating separation from his defender, finding position down low and and has improved his low-post touch tremendously. Add it to the list of 932 different forms of offense the Warriors can execute. McGee’s minutes continue to be impactful enough to make the Cavaliers worry about the damage he could inflict.
Remember a year ago when Leandro Barbosa helped swing Games 1 and 2 of the NBA Finals? Off the bench, he combined for 21 points in 28 minutes of play. He was the perfect weapon in the second quarter and Cleveland had absolutely no match for his energy. The same type of scenario could play itself out come June 1. Kevin Love will have trouble checking McGee at the rim. So will Derrick Williams. The Cavaliers will have to consider staggering Thompson’s minutes if McGee starts to get hot. Because the bench can win you a game or two in this matchup.
The occasional defensive lapse is still there. McGee is far from a perfect basketball player. And being surrounded by four star players will obviously inflate anyone’s value. But credit here actually goes to Iguodala for suggesting the move to the Warriors. The two played together in Denver, Iguodala promised his knucklehead act was completely overblown on social media and TNT. Bob Myers and Steve Kerr trusted Iguodala’s opinion. The inclusive atmosphere they’ve fostered has made staff members and players comfortable suggesting ideas.
Iguodala has played the x-factor role before in a championship. For Cleveland, a size advantage served as a tipping point last season. That coupled with LeBron playing angry and Irving come up clutch was enough to stun the Warriors.
Whoever it is, somebody other than the expected Durant, Curry, Draymond and Thompson quartet is going to have to deliver in June. You can make an argument the Cavaliers have had a better postseason than the Warriors. After a so-so regular season, Cleveland is without question peaking at the right time.
McGee is proving he’s capable of answering that bell. If the Warriors are parading around Oakland in late June, smart money is that McGee played a significant role in tearing down the Cavs.