Golden State Warriors: 3 takeaways from Game 2 vs. Cavaliers

2. The enigmatic McGee effect

Ask any member of the Warriors, the ESPN broadcast or NBA Twitter, and you’ll hear that JaVale McGee changed the game. While the assessment isn’t wrong, just how positive that change was is difficult to unpack.

Yes, McGee opened the game with two wide-open dunks. Yes, he followed that up with two more in the second quarter, and two more close range buckets in the third. He finished 6-of-6 from the field for 12 points, the most a non All-Star has scored for the Warriors since Quinn Cook‘s 12 points in Game 4 against the New Orleans Pelicans.

But McGee was a +0 in a game that Golden State won by 19 points. Watching him defensively, it’s no surprise why. Whether it was falling asleep on a pick-and-pop while guarding Kevin Love, repeatedly arriving late to contest James at the rim or accumulating twice as many fouls (four) as rebounds (two) in his 18 minutes of play, McGee negated all his offensive impact on the defensive end.

This is the same old story with McGee. His offensive brilliance and defensive ineptitude makes him a heavily matchup-dependent player. In Round 1, the San Antonio Spurs’ lack of talent to exploit him made him a positive. The Houston Rockets’ theoretical ability to target him on switches while neutralizing him with switches of their own made him unplayable in the Western Conference Finals. Here against the Cavs, he’s a net neutral.

Perhaps this ultimately makes him worth playing. He seems to get his teammates fired up, and the Oracle crowd certainly loves him. One interpretation of Game 2 is that McGee’s two opening dunks were the biggest buckets of the night, rattling Cleveland’s defense and thus freeing up Curry, Durant and Thompson to go off. Plus/minus cannot account for momentum and adjustments forced.

I’m not sure if I buy it. I am sure I wouldn’t try it in Cleveland. But hey, the Warriors are up 2-0. It’s hard to criticize Kerr’s adjustments so far.