Klay Thompson's historic night keeps Warriors title hopes alive
OKLAHOMA CITY – On the morning that Klay Thompson made history, hitting an NBA playoff record 11 three-pointers in the Golden State Warriors’ 108-101 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals, he was reading – of all things – the latest copy of USA Today.
And yes, it was the print version.
Of all the stars in today’s NBA, the Golden State Warriors shooting guard is as understated as they come. He loves his English Bulldog, Rocco. He loves winning. And beyond that, there’s really not much that moves the needle for the 26-year-old who has quietly become the second-most important player on the defending champions’ squad.
So when he routinely puts that paper up in front of his eyes, it’s as much a guard against the media attention that constantly surrounds him as it is a legitimate pastime. Thompson, to his credit, just wants to play the game.
Boy, did he do just that on Saturday night.
Klay Thompson makes history with 11 3-pointers in Warriors' Game 6 win
Yes, Curry helped closed the deal, scoring 20 of his 31 points in the second half while nearing a triple double with 10 rebounds and nine assists as the Warriors rallied from an eight-point, fourth-quarter deficit. But Thompson, that cool cat who couldn’t care less whether you talk about his unbelievable night, is the reason the Warriors are still alive.
His 41 points were not only a personal playoff high, they were a continuation of a postseason in which he has been the Warriors’ best player. Not only has Thompson led the Warriors in scoring (26.5 points per game on 45.5% shooting overall and 44.4% from three-point range), but he has played the kind of elite defense that makes him one of the best two-way players in the game.
When he emerged from the Warriors’ locker room after the win, the applause from family members and friends in the hallway erupted just as Thompson had all night long. Thompson, who is so overlooked as an X-factor in this Warriors’ story in which he was nearly traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves two years ago, marveled like everyone else at how this series had unfolded.
“This is up there,” he told USA TODAY Sports during a golf cart ride from the locker room to the postgame news conference podium. “I don’t know if you can beat it. It’s got to be No. 1 (on his personal list), just off of – backs against the wall, on the road in a great home atmosphere, we win or we go home and our season’s over, so this has to be No. 1.
“I just knew this wasn’t going to be my last game, man. If it by chance was, I was going to go out shooting, being aggressive. I see a couple easy looks go in, and after that you’ve got your legs under you and everything feels like it’s going to go in. I just stuck with it, never doubted myself.”
Whatever happens from here, let this much be known: Thompson is the straw that stirs this Warriors’ drink. If he isn’t the guy who loves being in the shadows, if he doesn’t find a way to make room for Curry’s greatness and Draymond Green’s love of the spotlight and all the other quirks that come with this championship bunch, then the Warriors never get to this point. Thompson, that 11th pick in the 2011 draft out of Washington State who grew up with a father, Mychal, who played such a pivotal part in the Lakers’ titles in 1987-88, is as rare a commodity as you’ll ever find in this league.
Warriors keep season alive, force Game 7
And if ever there was a time to celebrate his role in all of this, it was in this moment.
He outscored the entire Thunder team in the fourth quarter (19 points to 18), all while hitting six of nine shots (five three-pointers) in 12 mind-numbing minutes. Curry certainly hit his key shots – that three-pointer on the right wing when Russell Westbrook was inexplicably slow reacting to an Andre Iguodala screen (Thunder 97-96); the three from up top after a Kevin Durant turnover that tied it 99-99 – but Thompson was the one punching the Warriors’ ticket back to Oakland.
Iguodala – having switched off of Durant up top – stripped Russell Westbrook on the left block and found Thompson in the right wing for the nail-in-the-coffin attempt. He buried the three over Durant and the Warriors led 104-101. Thompson’s finest hour, one that was completed with two free throws that incensed a stunned Thunder crowd, was almost complete.
“It was fun; it’s why we play the game,” Thompson said while cruising on that golf cart. “We play it for the fans. We play it for the energy, and believe it or not we never really doubted ourselves because we’ve been down and out before. We believed we can win three in a row. We had to take it one possession at a time, but we really believed and we got back to things that we did and we were in good shape.”
Will they finish the job in Game 7?
“Heck, yeah,” Thompson said with a smile.
