PORTLAND, Ore. — During Game 3 of the first-round Saturday, the sight of Portland’s Jusuf Nurkic lumbering up the court on a fractured right leg made Warriors center JaVale McGee uneasy.
“I cringed a little bit,” McGee said.
It was a reminder of the leg injuries that once threatened to end his NBA career. Last summer, after playing only 62 games in three seasons, McGee re-committed himself to a healthy lifestyle. Today, he is a driving force behind Golden State’s championship push.
In the Warriors’ series sweep of the Trail Blazers, with Portland’s frontcourt decimated by injuries, McGee went from solid role player to low-post bully.