Dallas Mavericks center JaVale McGee. Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

JaVale McGee blew the movie ending in Atlanta

By Sean Keane | Last updated 4/4/23

JaVale McGee had a chance to redeem his lost season Sunday. The season stayed lost.

The little-used McGee had played only three games since the All-Star break before Coach Jason Kidd put him in halfway through the third quarter against the Hawks. McGee proceeded to play the rest of the way alongside Christian Wood as Dallas made up a 15-point deficit.

With the Mavericks trailing by a point, McGee drew foul with 0.4 seconds left.

JAVALE MCGEE FOULED.

pic.twitter.com/CsRCtOKO8m
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) April 3, 2023

McGee went to the line with a chance to win the game. He did not.

Afterward, McGee lamented the missed free throw and his failure to land the "movie ending."

JaVale McGee: "In hindsight that's what movies are made of, not playing the whole season. Then coming down to you hitting those two free-throws for the win. Unfortunately I missed one of them and it went into OT. Yeah, that movie's going straight to DVD. It's not coming out."
— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) April 3, 2023

In the overtime, McGee had an assist and made a jumper, but Dallas lost after a controversial foul call on Kyrie Irving sent Trae Young to the line for his own game-winning free throws with a second left. He made both. (The Last Two Minute Report said the foul call was correct.)

Adding McGee and trading for Wood were the Mavericks' big offseason moves after reaching the Western Conference Finals. That, and letting Jalen Brunson leave for the New York Knicks. McGee was promised the starting center job, but lost it to Dwight Powell nine games into the season.

Winning a huge game would have been quite the redemption arc for McGee. But after the trade for Irving, injuries to Luka Doncic and a team-wide defensive collapse, there is no redeeming this Mavericks season.

More must-reads: