Mike Brown: JaVale McGee likely to start for Warriors in Game 3

With Zaza Pachulia out for Game 3 against the Spurs, Mike Brown said that he's likely going to start JaVale McGee in his place.

The Golden State Warriors have cruised to a 2-0 series lead in the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs, and their path gets even easier with Kawhi Leonard set to miss Game 3.

If there's one area that the Spurs might be able to exploit tonight at the AT&T Center, it's Golden State's interior. Starting center Zaza Pachulia has been ruled out for the game as well, taking some of the muscle out of the Dubs' defense. However, on the offensive end, they have an extremely explosive replacement available.

After this morning's shoot around, Warriors associate head coach Mike Brown named the likely starting center for Golden State. From the Mercury News' Anthony Slater:

Mike Brown said the Warriors will “probably start JaVale (McGee)” for the injured Zaza Pachulia tonight.

JaVale McGee started 10 of the 77 games he played in this season, scoring 9.8 points, grabbing 5.2 rebounds, and compiling 0.9 blocks in 16.4 minutes per night in those outings (via Rotoworld).

He'll split minutes at the 5-spot with James Michael McAdoo, who actually got more minutes than McGee once Pachulia went down in Game 2.

Despite the loss of Zaza for tonight's contest, the Dubs and their fans shouldn't be nearly as anxious as the Spurs, who need a win to make this series without the help of their MVP finalist.