Patrick McCaw opens some eyes against Houston
The Golden State Warriors’ Patrick McCaw went on a little run of his own at the end of the Dubs’ win over the Rockets that opened some eyes.
The Golden State Warriors executed on both ends of the floor in order to get revenge on the Houston Rockets. The Dubs limited their deadly opponents to just seven three-pointers on the night. Conversely, the Warriors exploded.
The Core Four was able to put the ball in the basket. Kevin Durant had an extremely efficient 32 points. Stephen Curry added 24 of his own points. Klay Thompson and Draymond Green had 16 and 15 points respectively.
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The Warriors also got some production from an unlikely place. With David West out, Steve Kerr had to turn to James Michael McAdoo, who was solid in his short time on the floor. He scored 8 points, grabbed 2 rebounds, and drew several fouls in 13 minutes.
Golden State used a big third quarter to gain separation from the Rockets. They held Houston scoreless from beyond the arc in the third, taking away their most effective weapon. Conversely, the Warriors were able to get into a rhythm and dropped 37 in the period.
This game was much different than the first matchup between these two teams. James Harden carried his team to a double overtime victory when they met in Oracle Arena. This game wasn’t as close as the Warriors came away with a 17 point victory.
After blowing a few big leads in games this season, the Warriors have done a better job of preserving them as of late. This game was no different. After they pushed it to 20 points, Houston tried to make one last push at the beginning of the fourth. Every time the deficit reached around 15, the Dubs turned it on again.
The last few minutes of the game were rather forgettable. Thompson was on the floor, but he was just trying to get something going after struggling to shoot the ball in this one. The two teams were just trying to get to the final buzzer.
The benches emptied and Kerr turned to rookie Patrick McCaw. Early on, the spot behind Thompson was open and there was much speculation over who would take it. The Warriors’ head coach tried both McCaw and Ian Clark.
After an incredible Summer League and a solid preseason, McCaw earned an opportunity. He played double digit minutes in 10 straight games in November, hitting the 20 minute mark several times. Ultimately, Clark took the job due to his experience and improved play.
Recently. McCaw has spent time between the Golden State and Santa Cruz Warriors. There are plenty of nights where he doesn’t get off the bench. Generally, he’ll see the floor once the game is decided.
This was on different against Houston. Except in his three minutes, he flashed some of what has excited Warriors fans since they acquired him from the Milwaukee Bucks on draft night. He attacked quickly and efficiently.
In three minutes, McCaw scored 8 points. It wasn’t just that he scored more than Andre Iguodala in a fraction of the minutes, it was how he did it. Even the stats don’t fully do his work justice.
McCaw was a perfect 2/2 from beyond the arc and each of his threes were impressive. The Warriors’ offense had stagnated and, with seconds left on the shot clock, they needed to make something happen. The rookie did that. He isolated and took an off-the-dribble three-pointer. Splash.
On the next possession, he did it again. McCaw nailed his second jumper after putting the ball on the floor. When the Warriors got the ball back, he drove and converted a layup.
Admittedly, his little run came against the Rockets’ end-of-bench guys in meaningless minutes, but it was encouraging. It was nice to see McCaw play aggressively. He took over when the team didn’t have anything going on.
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McCaw is talented, but very raw. At just 20 years of age, he has a lot of room to grow. Learning from some of the game’s best will surely do him wonders. It’s clear why the Warriors went out and acquired him.
Perhaps Kerr will see his run at the end of the game and reward McCaw with some meaningful minutes. He remains prepared and get buckets even when he’s coming off the bench cold. That type of focus is nice to see from a young player.
He’s fallen out of the rotation, but performances like that will definitely have him contention for a bigger role.