OAKLAND — It seems Klay Thompson plays his best basketball when the stakes are the highest, and the circumstances hold major implications. We have seen him produce one incredible performance after the next in pressure-packed situations throughout his seven-year career.
Saturday night was the latest.
Trailing 3-2 in the Western Conference Finals, Thompson poured in a game-high 35 points on 13-23 from the floor and 9-14 from the three-point line in Game 6 against the visiting Houston Rockets. He added six rebounds. The Warriors outscored the Rockets by 32 points with Thompson on the floor.
Whether he was sinking corner threes or chasing Houston star James Harden wherever he roamed, Thompson proved his worth to Golden State once again Saturday night.
After Golden State’s 115-86 win, Thompson was asked whether he was born for these moments. He responded in typical Klay fashion.
“I don’t know if I was born for it, but I definitely worked my butt off to get to this point,” Thompson said, then paused. “I mean, I guess you could say I was born for it.”
This answer from Klay is absolutely amazing pic.twitter.com/Ujg34zmOwx
— Born Salty (@cjzero) May 27, 2018
This would make sense, considering Thompson’s lineage. His father, Mychal, was a former No. 1 pick and key contributor of the Showtime Los Angeles Lakers that won back-to-back championships in 1987 and 1988.
Thompson has engineered quite the career of his own. Add the four-time All Star’s 35-point performance on Saturday night to his long list of memorable performances.
“That felt good, to be honest,” Thompson said. “I just wanted to play with as much passion as I could tonight. You probably saw me more vocal than I usually am.”
Thompson’s most famous playoff outburst came in this same situation, albeit away from Oracle Arena, two years ago. It was 2016, and the Warriors entered Chesapeake Arena trailing the Kevin Durant-led Oklahoma City Thunder 3-2 in the Western Conference Finals.
Thompson went off, scoring for 41 points, including 11 threes. He poured in 26 second-half points, 19 in the fourth quarter, to lead Golden State to a 108-101 victory.
That performance potentially changed the NBA landscape. Would Durant have joined the Warriors after that series if Thompson had not erupted, willing Golden State to a victory before it took the series in Game 7?
“I think Klay doesn’t worry too much about repercussions,” Steve Kerr said Saturday postgame. “He doesn’t worry about judgment and results. I think he just loves to play. He is so comfortable in his own skin. I just think he wants to go out there and hoop, and he doesn’t worry about much else.”
That simple, single-minded focus has blended with Thompson’s all-world shooting ability to likely produce a Hall of Fame career. But he remembers a time when he was not this composed and content.
“I used to be so hard on myself, especially early in my career,” Thompson said. “I have learned as I get older if you play with passion, you play hard, and you leave the game saying, ‘I gave everything I had in those 48 minutes,’ you can live with the result.”
The Warriors will gladly live with their 29-point win Saturday night to keep their season alive. Thompson’s 35 points was a driving force, but he also helped wear down Harden, who was forced to shoulder the offensive load with Chris Paul sidelined with a hamstring injury.
“It’s fun to score the ball; it’s great to see shots go in,” Thompson said. “But when you take pride on the defensive end, you make the offensive player work for a bucket, and get stops, that’s just as good of a feeling. I love competing on the defensive side of the ball.”
Kerr partly credits Thompson’s physical stamina to his excellence on both ends of the floor. His versatility is so important to the Warriors. Even when Thompson’s shots aren’t falling, he finds other ways to impact the game.
His offensive production has spiked recently after a quiet three-game stretch. After he scored 28 points in Game 1 of this series, he was held in check, combining to score 31 points in the following three games. He followed up a 23-point outing in Game 5 with his 35-point performance, his highest scoring game of these playoffs, on Saturday night, with the 2018 season, and an impending dynasty, at stake.
“He seems to thrive in these situations,” Kerr said about Thompson. “He was fantastic.”