Klay Thompson is one of the best shooters in the history of the NBA. The man is a 3x NBA champion and a huge part of one of the most dominant dynasties in recent history. His skill set when he’s healthy is unique, but it looked for a while this season like Klay might not be the same as he was before he missed over two years with multiple serious injuries.
There were calls for the Warriors to move on from Klay and focus on the up-and-coming Jordan Poole, with many forgetting what Thompson can do on the court. However, he silenced all his critics with a 30-point performance in a closeout Game 6 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night.
Thompson turns into an unstoppable beast in Game 6s of playoff series. It’s been a trend throughout his career. And the ‘Game 6 Klay’ meme inspired by it is something he acknowledges. After his stellar showing against the Grizzlies, Klay shared photos of several GOATs before adding a picture of himself.
Klay’s IG story. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/VQc123VOOl
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) May 14, 2022
Michael Jordan, Michael Jackson, and Mike Tyson are recognized by many as being the greatest to ever do it in their respective fields, and Klay seems to think he belongs in that conversation, if only for a Game 6 in an NBA playoff series. The post is seemingly tongue-in-cheek. Even Thompson knows that he’s nowhere close to being the actual GOAT, but this sort of confidence is part of what has helped him come back and start playing at the highest level again.
When this version of Klay turns up, there is not much that other teams can do about it, so the Warriors will need him to keep this up in the pivotal games still left in the season. And if any team wants to beat Golden State in the Conference Finals or perhaps even the NBA Finals, maybe they should try to ensure that the series is over before it can even get to a Game 6.
