Jared McCain was somehow still all smiles as he recounted the beating he took to end Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals.
The Oklahoma City Thunder guard got clobbered in the final two minutes of Tuesday’s playoff clash at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla. Some fans suspected Victor Wembanyama himself put a hit out on McCain after the Frenchman was seen whispering to veterans Mason Plumlee and Bismack Biyombo late in the 127-114 loss.
During a postgame interview, McCain shared the exchange he had with Plumlee after the 7-foot center clubbed him in the back.
“That was crazy,” McCain said. “I didn’t expect it, obviously. We were at the free throw line, too, and I was like, ‘Why’d you do that, man?’
“I’m just asking a question, and he’s like, ‘I’ve got another one for you, too.’ … But it’s all competition, so you’ve got to respect it.”
The Duke alum added that his Thunder teammates told him to stand in the corner until the final buzzer so as not to give the Spurs brutes any more opportunities to nail him. Aside from getting a forearm shiver from Plumlee, McCain also got smushed by Biyombo on a later drive.
The second-year guard finished with 20 points on 7/19 shooting in his first career playoff start.
McCain not taking serious offense to the blows or the verbal warning was pretty on-brand for one of the most positive players in the NBA. The 22-year-old even showed Daryl Morey grace after getting a chance to roast the former Philadelphia 76ers executive who traded him.
