Jared McCain responds to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander being called 'free throw merchant'
The post Jared McCain responds to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander being called 'free throw merchant' appeared first on ClutchPoints.
Philadelphia 76ers rookie sensation Jared McCain was selected to be a media correspondent for the 2025 NBA Finals featuring the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers. The series, which is seeing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Tyrese Haliburton battle it out to lead their respective squads to their first NBA Championship, is tied at 2-2 heading into Game 5 on Monday night.
Advertisement
The topic of conversation following Game 4 has been the officiating and how Gilgeous-Alexander gets to the free throw line. 76ers rookie Jared McCain had some thoughts.
76ers' Jared McCain responds to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander being called 'free throw merchant'
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished Game 4 of the 2025 NBA Finals with a game-high 35 points on 12-of-24 from the field and a perfect 10-of-10 from the free throw line. A lot of non-Thunder fans, however, came out of that unhappy after seeing Gilgeous-Alexander attempt eight of his 10 free throws in the final five minutes.
In the fourth quarter, Gilgeous-Alexander shot 3-of-6 from the field, 1-of-3 from three, and 8-of-8 from the free throw line. Pacers fans could be heard yelling, 'free throw merchant,' throughout Gainbridge Fieldhouse and others took to social media to express their frustration at Gilgeous-Alexander's ability to push-off and draw fouls.
During the NBA Finals, ClutchPoints spoke with NBA Finals media correspondent Jared McCain to get his take on the discourse around the Thunder star and his ability to draw fouls.
Advertisement
'Yeah, I see both sides of it,' McCain told ClutchPoints. 'But I think it's just smart play. A lot of them, they are fouls. He's just using his body against the defender and you're fouling. It's just a smart way to play, but I see both sides of it. How fans don't want to see, I guess, the slow pace of just getting to the finish line, but at the end of the day, he's just trying to win a game and he's trying to get as many buckets as possible. So I think it's smart and I'm trying to learn as much as I can.'
In just his 16th career game, 76ers rookie Jared McCain shot 12 free throws in a game. That's among the earliest in a player's career that they've shot double-digit free throws in a game, and much of it has to do with McCain's ability to play physical while knowing how to use his body to draw fouls.
For McCain, the Sixers guard is trying to pick up any tips and tricks he can from the Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and even New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, who is also highly scrutinized for his foul-drawing tactics.
'Yeah I think for me, it's especially like I use my shot as a way to get to the rim and to get fouled,' Jared mcCain continued to ClutchPoints. 'Obviously being physical and using that physicality against them. That helps you get to the line as well, but obviously watching players like Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander], like Jalen Brunson, who gets to the line a lot, I'm trying to learn as much as I can, but it's pretty cool to see it happen in my first few games.'
Advertisement
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored all 15 points of his fourth quarter points in the final in the final five minutes of Game 4, the most points scored in the final five minutes of regulation of an NBA Finals game since 1971.
Monday night's Game 5 between the Thunder and Pacers will see one team take a 3-2 series lead heading back to Indianapolis for Game 6. Will the Thunder be able to take the series lead heading on the road, or will the Pacers have a chance to close out the series at home and win an NBA Championship in front of their home-crowd?
Game 5 is set to tip off at 8:30PM EST on ABC.
Related: Jared McCain's honest reaction to Thunder-Pacers NBA Finals
Related: 76ers rumors: Daryl Morey's trade talks bring mystery around NBA
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
11 minutes ago
- New York Times
How Coastal Carolina got to today
Follow all our live coverage of Game 2 of the CWS between the LSU Tigers and Coastal Carolina Chanticleers Imagn Images The LSU Tigers won Game 1 of the College World Series behind a dominant performance from pitcher Kade Anderson. Will they claim the title today, or will the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers force Game 3? Join us for live coverage of Game 2 of the best-of-three series, with the first pitch set for 2:30 p.m. ET on ABC. Start time: 2:30 p.m. ET, 1:30 p.m. CT 2:30 p.m. ET, 1:30 p.m. CT Watch: ABC and ESPN+ ABC and ESPN+ Streaming: Fubo ( Try for free ) Fubo ( ) Get involved: live@ Connections: Sports Edition Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Imagn Images How the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers got to Game 2 of the championship series: Regional Defeated Fairfield 10-2 Defeated East Carolina 18-7 Defeated East Carolina 1-0 Super Regional Defeated Auburn 7-6 Defeated Auburn 4-1 CWS Defeated Arizona 7-4 Defeated Oregon State 6-2 Defeated Louisville 11-3 CWS title series How the LSU Tigers got to Game 2 of the championship series: Regional Defeated Little Rock 7-0 Defeated Dallas Baptist 6-0 Lost to Little Rock 10-4 Defeated Little Rock 10-6 Super Regional Defeated West Virginia 16-9 Defeated West Virginia 12-5 CWS Defeated Arkansas 4-1 Defeated UCLA 9-5 Defeated Arkansas 6-5 CWS title series Defeated Coastal Carolina 1-0 Here are the baseball programs that have won multiple national championships: USC: 12 12 LSU: Seven Seven Texas: Six Six Arizona: Five Five Four: Arizona, Cal State Fullerton, Miami (Fla.) Arizona, Cal State Fullerton, Miami (Fla.) Three: Minnesota, Oregon State Minnesota, Oregon State Two: Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Stanford, Oklahoma, Michigan, California Getty Images The championship series began yesterday with LSU winning Game 1. Here's the remaining schedule: Game 2: 2:30 p.m. ET, today 2:30 p.m. ET, today Game 3: 7:30 p.m. ET, Monday (if necessary) Here are the last 10 winners of the NCAA baseball national championship, which includes both teams in this year's championship series ... 2024: Tennessee 2023: LSU 2022: Ole Miss 2021: Mississippi State 2020: Not played due to COVID-19 pandemic 2019: Vanderbilt 2018: Oregon State 2017: Florida 2016: Coastal Carolina 2015: Virginia LSU would claim the program's eighth national title with a victory today (or tomorrow if necessary). The Tigers previously won the title in 1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2009 and 2023. Coastal Carolina's season is on the line today as it chaces its second title (it won in 2016). The Athletic There's no better place to follow all your favorite teams, leagues and players than on The Athletic as we focus here on the conclusion to this season's NCAA Division I baseball tournament. We've got you covered on all things NBA with the NBA Finals and NHL with reaction to an exciting Stanley Cup Final, while the MLB season and NFL offseason continue to roll along. You can subscribe to The Athletic on an exclusive offer here. Imagn Images Today's game will be aired live on ABC and ESPN+. We will also be bringing you live updates throughout. Getty Images Today's game starts at 2:30 p.m. ET. That's 1:30 p.m. local time in Omaha. Hello, and welcome to our live coverage of the 2025 College World Series today. LSU meets Coastal Carolina for the national championship in a best-of-three series, with the Tigers leading the series 1-0. We're delighted you've decided to join us for live coverage, and don't forget that you can get involved throughout by emailing live@
NBC Sports
14 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
Kevin Durant reportedly traded to Houston, Phoenix gets Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, No. 10 pick, more
On the day of Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, the Houston Rockets have thrust themselves into the center of the 2026 title discussion. The Phoenix Suns are trading Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets for a package of Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 pick in the 2025 draft (which is the Suns getting back their own pick), and five future second-round picks, a story broken by Shams Charania of ESPN. Houston was one of Durant's preferred landing spots and he is expected to sign a two-year, $100+ million extension with them when eligible. The risk with that is Durant turns 37 before the start of next season and comes with an injury history. For the Rockets, that is a risk worth taking — Durant is the guy they need. While Houston won 52 games this season and was the No. 2 seed in the West thanks to an impressive, athletic young core led by coach Ime Udoka, its loss in the first round to Golden State highlighted the lack of a finisher in the half court. The Rockets needed a go-to scorer who could go get a bucket in the clutch. They now have one of the greatest bucket-getters in NBA history, a guy who averaged 26.6 points a game last season while shooting 43% from beyond the arc, not just a four-time league scoring champion but also a two-time Finals MVP who knows how to perform on the biggest of stages and continues to do so. The Rockets now have Durant starting alongside veteran Fred VanVleet at the point (likely to extend or re-sign with the team this summer), Amen Thompson on the wing, Jabari Smith Jr. and Alperen Sengun at center. The Rockets also still have Tari Eason, Cam Whitmore, Reed Shepard and others off the bench — plus a lot of future picks, meaning they may not be done trading. The Rockets and Suns had been negotiating since their seasons ended, but the sides had been far apart on terms for a Durant trade, with the Rockets trying to center the trade around Jabari Parker Jr., while the Suns were hoping for core Rockets players such as Amen Thompson or Alperen Sengun. The sides ultimately made the trade about Green — the explosive but inefficient scorer who averaged 21 points per game last season, but with a .544 true shooting percentage that was below the league average. Green, 24 and entering his fifth NBA season, has plenty of possibilities for improvement. For Phoenix, this was about as well as they were going to do in this trade market. They acquire a scorer who can play alongside Devin Booker and Bradley Beal in Green. More importantly, a team that lacked defense and grit has just gained a lot of both with Brooks. Then there is the No. 10 pick, which can go a number of different directions (or be traded again). The most stunning part of this trade: That it happened the day of Game 7 of the NBA Finals, taking the spotlight off the court and putting it on the NBA's transaction cycle. That is not going to sit well in the league office.
Washington Post
16 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Suns agree to trade Kevin Durant to Rockets for players and picks
The Phoenix Suns have agreed to trade 15-time all-star forward Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets in exchange for guard Jalen Green, forward Dillon Brooks, a 2025 first-round pick and five second-round picks, multiple people with knowledge of the situation confirmed Sunday. The trade agreement cannot be officially completed until the NBA's calendar resets in July. ESPN first reported the deal's terms. Durant, 36, will bring his proven scoring ability and championship experience to a young Rockets team that finished second in the Western Conference last season before losing in the first round of the playoffs to the Golden State Warriors. Houston was able to add the four-time scoring champion without surrendering all-star center Alperen Sengun or promising recent lottery picks such as Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr. Rockets Coach Ime Udoka previously coached Durant as an assistant with the Brooklyn Nets in 2020-21 and for the U.S. men's basketball team at the 2020 Olympics. Durant's disappointing two-plus seasons with the Suns began with a February 2023 blockbuster trade from Brooklyn. Although Durant touted Phoenix's championship potential shortly after his arrival in the desert, the Suns were eliminated by the Denver Nuggets in the second round of the 2023 playoffs, suffered a first-round sweep against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2024 playoffs and missed the postseason this year by finishing 11th in the Western Conference with a 36-46 record. Multiple missteps by Suns owner Mat Ishbia, who agreed to purchase the team in December 2022, preceded Durant's long-anticipated departure. Phoenix attempted to construct a 'Big Three' by acquiring Bradley Beal from the Washington Wizards in June 2023, but Durant, Devin Booker and Beal struggled to build chemistry because of repeated injury issues and never meshed particularly well on the court. As the Suns slipped in the standings following a franchise-record 64-win season in 2021-22, Ishbia fired well-regarded coaches Monty Williams, Frank Vogel and Mike Budenholzer in quick succession. Despite those changes, Phoenix continually struggled to defend at a high level and fell short of its potential on offense despite its well-known stars. While Phoenix attempted to trade for disgruntled star Jimmy Butler before this year's trade deadline, its efforts were hamstrung by the no-trade clause in Beal's contract. Durant remained an ultraefficient scorer throughout his Phoenix tenure, averaging 26.6 points, six rebounds and 4.2 assists per game while shooting 52.7 percent from the field and 43.0 percent on three-pointers last season. However, Durant has become more dependent on his jump shooting since he suffered a torn Achilles' tendon as a member of the Golden State Warriors during the 2019 NBA Finals. The two-time champion has seen his Player Efficiency Rating, free throw rate and ability to score at the rim slip noticeably since that injury, and he hasn't advanced to the conference finals since leaving the Warriors for the Nets in June 2019. By trading Durant, who is owed $54.7 million next season, the Suns took a step toward greater financial flexibility after leading the NBA with a $220 million payroll. Earlier this offseason, Ishbia hired Brian Gregory as general manager and Jordan Ott as coach, signaling a new era for an organization that traded significant draft assets to acquire Durant and Beal. Phoenix still faces major roster questions, including whether it should part with Beal this summer and whether the 28-year-old Booker, a four-time all-star, should be moved in pursuit of a full-scale rebuilding effort. The Suns do not control any of their first-round picks until 2032. Green, 23, was the No. 2 pick in the 2021 draft, but the athletic scoring guard must continue to improve his consistency and efficiency as he progresses through his career. Brooks, 29, is a proven wing stopper. This is a developing story and will be updated.
