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Javale McGee Faked an Injury to Beat Draymond Green for an Easy Dunk

Lakers' JaVale McGee goes up for a dunk vs. Warriors

JaVale McGee, much to his chagrin, is a fixture on TNT’s “Shaqtin’ a Fool” segments for his propensity to make boneheaded gaffes. But the Lakers center turned the tables on Wednesday night. 

At the start of the second half of Los Angeles’s preseason game against the Warriors, McGee fooled Draymond Green into leaving him wide open by limping off toward the baseline clutching his knee. Green instead doubled the ballhandler and McGee was left free for an early dunk. 

The play was reminiscent of one Vince Carter made for the Mavericks in 2013, although Carter’s deception was a longer con. 

The crazy thing, though, is that Carter’s trickery looked liked a savvy bit of improvisation, while the McGee play seems like it was drawn up ahead of time. Look at how Anthony Davis seems to be waiting for McGee to come back in bounds. Even if it wasn’t pre-planned, why reveal this genius bit of deceit in a preseason blowout? 

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