JaVale McGee Does JaVale McGee Thing, Wins Game For Nuggets In His Debut, Because JaVale McGee Is The Best

JaVale McGee has come in for some affectionate ribbing 'round these parts, but nobody better say nothing about his game-winning play in the Nuggets-Pistons game last night. It was McGee's first appearance in a Denver uniform and he made the most of it when it counted. I don't care how many times he tries to pass the ball with his face or runs back on defense when his team still has possession, look at the judo move he uses to unbalance Greg Monroe, who's one of the most fundamentally sound young centers in the game. And then McGee has the presence of mind to let the ball clear the cylinder before winning the game with a dunk. While hanging in the air. Because he's a seven-footer who can jump like a shooting guard. That's not a boneheaded player. That's a player the Nuggets were wise to acquire.

As a Bullets fan, I was sad when the Wizards traded McGee. It's nice to get a player like Nene in return, but Nene is a player for the present, not a player for a couple years from now when Wizards management coulda shoulda finally rebuilt the team into something that might have sniffed the playoffs, with McGee— who by then could easily be the best shot-blocker in the NBA (he's third in blocks this year)—destroying opponents in the paint. Oh well. Nene will do. Could be worse. Could be Rashard Lewis.

Nick Young joked that the Wizards had "a curse" after he was traded last week, and that's plenty easy to believe. Just look at McGee. No one has lowlights as low as Javale's, and perhaps only a handful of NBA players are capable of highlights as high as his. He's the perfect NBA player for the GIF era, a walking "FWD: fwd: fwd: MOST BRILLIANT THING YOU'LL SEE ALL DAY." Godspeed you, JaVale.

But what, may I ask, is Arron Afflalo doing in the above video? With five seconds left, he misses a free throw that would have tied the game. After McGee soars to the rim to win it for the Nuggets, Afflalo turns to Wilson Chandler and slaps his hand, as if this were all planned. As if Afflalo were in some way responsible for the game-winner. That's so Arron Afflalo.