Golden State Warriors third-year player Juan Toscano-Anderson produced one of, if not the biggest individual highlight of the season thus far during Friday night’s blowout win over the Phoenix Suns.
With just over two minutes left in the first quarter, and less than 10 seconds remaining on the shot clock, “JTA” made a big hustle play to save a potential turnover at midcourt, and after falling to the floor, popped back up and made a dash towards the basket. That’s when this happened.
The latest Warriors news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Warriors newsletter here!
With all due respect to high-flying guard Gary Payton II, Toscano-Anderson’s dunk on former Dub Nation fan favorite JaVale McGee was the poster of the year for Golden State, and possibly for the entire NBA. JTA certainly had an epic way to describe how the posterization made him feel during his postgame press conference.
After his all-around performance that included 17 points, five rebounds, five assists, one block and one steal against one of the best teams in the league, the 28-year-old probably deserves all of the ice cream he desires.
McGee Responds: ‘Congrats Young Fella I’ll Sign It for You!’
GettyPhoenix Suns center JaVale McGee.
Not only was McGee on the receiving end of arguably the most emphatic and impressive NBA posters from this season, but his team lost by a whopping 22 points. In the process, the Suns’ 18-game winning streak was snapped.
Instead of pouting and sulking though, the three-time NBA-champion does what he usually does, and laughed off the play and took things in stride. The 33-year-old McGee showed why he continues to be one of the more likable guys in the Association.
McGee is in his 14th NBA season and first with the Suns – who are his eighth organization overall. He spent both the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 campaigns with the Dubs and earned championships in both seasons, before winning his third title with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020.
Through 23 games this season – including six starts – McGee is averaging 9.9 points, 7.0 rebounds and 15.6 minutes per contest while shooting 66.4% from the field and 65.2% from the free throw line.
JTA Gives Shoutout to Former Longtime Dubs’ Big Man
GettyAtlanta Hawks point guard Jeff Teague and Golden State Warriors center Andris Biedrins during a game in 2012.
Before diving into his reaction to his dunk over McGee, JTA gave shoutouts to a couple of teammates in Payton II and Andrew Wiggins – a couple of other guys known for their dunking prowess. When Toscano-Anderson noticed that an image of former Warriors’ center Andris Biedrins was up on a screen behind him, the Oakland, California native made sure to recognize the lefty as well.
Despite being out of the league since the 2013-2014 season, Biedrins is still only 35 years old. After being selected 11th overall by the Dubs in 2004, Biedrins spent his entire career with Golden State up until his final six-game season with the Utah Jazz.
The Latvian never quite lived up to his potential, but had back-to-back solid seasons from 2007 through 2009. In the 2007-2008 campaign, Biedrins posted 10.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and 27.3 minutes per contest across 76 games, while leading the NBA in field goal percentage at 62.6%.
The following season, Biedrins averaged a double-double and set career-highs in points (11.9), rebounds (11.2), assists (2.0), blocks (1.5) and minutes (30.0) per game across 62 contests.
Follow @vbarbosa1127 on Twitter for all the latest Golden State Warriors breaking news, rumors, fresh takes, and more!
READ NEXT: NBA Hall-of-Famer: Warriors’ Stephen Curry in ‘Lane of His Own’
No comments:
Post a Comment