© Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
OAKLAND — After Patrick McCaw crashed to the floor on March 31, was taken off on a stretcher, and escorted to the hospital, Steve Kerr said the scene was ‘the scariest thing I have experienced on a basketball floor.’ At that point, McCaw returning to the floor was a distant thought, as it initially seemed the Warriors guard was facing a serious injury. He had suffered a lumbosacral bone bruise, considered a major relief.
Fast forward about two months, and McCaw is suiting up — in the biggest game of the season. The 22-year-old will be available for Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals Saturday night, with the Warriors trailing the Houston Rockets 3-2.
“He’s gotten a lot better over the last couple weeks,” Kerr said about McCaw before Game 6. “He scrimmaged a couple times, his back is fine, had a little knee soreness — I think from the inactivity. He has made it through that. Here he is. He will suit up.”
The Warriors bench has failed to consistently produce throughout this series. In Game 4, the bench contributed 12 points. In Game 5, only five points.
Andre Iguodala’s absence has altered Golden State’s rotations. He is unavailable for Game 6 for the third straight game.
McCaw adds guard depth for a team that needs it. Quinn Cook and Nick Young are the only reserve guards who have contributed throughout this series. It may stay that way Saturday night, considering McCaw has not seen game action in nearly two months.
“It would be a tough spot to put him in, with the weight of the game and not having played for a long time,” Kerr said. “But at this point, it’s all hands on deck obviously, and you never know how the game is going to play out.”