In Toronto, ‘little brother’ awaits the Warriors
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OAKLAND — A familiar face will be awaiting the Warriors in Toronto — assuming they recognize him.
Patrick McCaw, who mysteriously parted ways with the Warriors last summer, now plays a small role for the Raptors.
“It’ll be great to see Patrick,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.
“I’ve still got love for Pat,” Shaun Livingston said. “This is where he started. He’s our little brother.”
The reunion will be limited to hugs and a quick hello
“I don’t think there will be any ring presentation for Patrick during the Finals,” quipped Kerr, referring to the fact that McCaw has not yet received his 2018 championship ring. “This is the first time we’ve seen him because of the circumstances. He was not with Toronto when they came here (in December).”
McCaw, 23, hooked on with Toronto in January following a three-game stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers, an odyssey that began when the restricted free agent rejected a two-year, $4 million offer from the Warriors.
McCaw wanted more — not necessarily more money, he said, but more opportunity than existed in a backcourt of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
“I could say it was playing time, but I think it was just me being emotional as a kid,” McCaw told The Undefeated in a story published Monday. “I just wanted more. Not necessarily more playing time, but more opportunity for myself. I’m not discrediting the Warriors and what they chose to do. I just think being a young kid, you see all the younger guys competing and doing their thing and you feel like, ‘OK, I’m just that kid, or I could be doing exactly what he’s doing.’”
McCaw averaged 4.0 points each of his two seasons with the Warriors, coming off the bench for all but 30 of his 128 games.
In 26 games for Toronto this season, he averaged 2.7 points and 13.2 minutes. He has appeared in only seven of Toronto’s 18 postseason games, scoring two points. He did not play in the Eastern Conference finals against Milwaukee, missing the first five games following the death of his older brother, Jeffrey.
McCaw offered no details about the death.
McCaw said he talks regularly to some of his former Warriors teammates, including Shaun Livingston, Andre Iguodala, Kevon Looney, Quinn Cook and Damian Jones.
“It’s going to be crazy, just the first game lining up against them,” McCaw told The Undefeated. “I haven’t played against them all season. I haven’t been there with them since we won (the 2018 championship) in Cleveland. The last time I saw them, I was playing with the Warriors.”
It will be interesting to see the reaction he gets from the Golden State crowd when he comes to Oracle for Game 3. Some Warriors fans weren’t happy with McCaw boasting on social media about making it to the NBA Finals three years in a row.
“I don’t know if they’re going to be booing me or what,” McCaw said. “But I’m excited to go back, for real. It’s going to be a lot of fun. I’m excited to see what happens in that type of atmosphere.
“This is crazy. Never would I have thought this. It’s unbelievable.”