“Recreation 6 Klay” is an actual factor.
The Warriors are relying on Klay Thompson including to his legend and serving to to shut out the Celtics — together with one other title.
The NBA Finals will return to Boston’s TD Backyard on Thursday with the Celtics trailing three video games to 2 and making an attempt to stave off a Golden State championship. However the Celtics should deal not solely with Stephen Curry in MVP kind, but additionally with Thompson seemingly constructing towards one other one in all his famous — and inexplicable — Recreation 6 outbursts.
“I’d wish to have a giant night time and win the sport. It doesn’t matter what any of us do individually, the principle aim is simply to win one recreation,” mentioned Thompson, who's averaging 21.7 factors within the final three video games. “I don’t wish to put any further strain on myself to reside as much as my identify. I simply wish to go on the market and play free, belief my teammates. And I do know nice issues will occur if I do these two issues.
“I understand I’m on a extremely good streak proper now of Recreation 6s. I don’t understand how lengthy that’ll final, hopefully, clearly [Thursday]. It’s clearly a nickname I earned. I wish to reside as much as it. On the similar time, I don’t wish to go in there and play hero ball: I’m simply going to be in there and be myself, do what I’ve been doing the previous few video games. I do know that’ll enable us to achieve success.”
Coach Steve Kerr’s arrival in 2014-15 coincided with Thompson’s arrival as a Recreation 6 monster. He has averaged 24.7 factors on 54 % taking pictures from 3-point vary in 9 Recreation 6’s since then. The Warriors have made the Finals six occasions and received three titles, with an opportunity Thursday to shut out a fourth.
“It has nothing to do with us, has nothing to do with technique: It simply has to do with Klay,” Kerr mentioned. “He’s bought a killer intuition. He’s actually proficient.”
That killer intuition was on show in Recreation 6 of the 2016 Western Convention Finals, when Thompson lit up the Thunder for 41 factors on 11-for-18 taking pictures from 3-point vary. Together with that night time, within the seven Recreation 6’s he has performed since (even together with the 2019 Finals in opposition to the Raptors, when he tore his ACL), Thompson has averaged 28.1 factors on 54.4 % taking pictures from behind the arc coming into Thursday.
“Recreation 6 Klay, I don’t understand how he’s been in a position to do it. Simply his character, no second is just too large for him when it comes to hooping, having fun with himself, embracing hostile crowds, or if we’re at house having fun with the house environment,” Curry mentioned. “He has a knack for these sort of massive moments. Simply so occurred to be Recreation 6. And he has one other alternative so as to add to that story [Thursday].”
Curry himself is coming off an unusually quiet 16-point, 7-for-22 effort in Recreation 5, which the Warriors nonetheless received because of the two-way play of Thompson and Andrew Wiggins.
Thompson has stored Boston stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in entrance of him and prevented them from slicing by the lane in isolations.
The Celtics are going to have to show the tables in the event that they wish to stave off elimination, maintain Golden State from celebrating a title on their parquet ground and maintain alive their very own hopes of a record-breaking 18th championship.
“All of the motivation on the planet. Recreation 6 on our house ground in entrance of our followers, final recreation in TD Backyard. Nothing extra must be mentioned,” Brown mentioned. “We’re wanting ahead to the problem. We bought to embrace it. Ain’t no different method round it. Final recreation on our house ground to embody our complete season. We’re seeking to give it every thing we bought. We’re not scared. We don't concern the Golden State Warriors. We wish to come out and play the very best model of basketball that we are able to.
“We haven’t backed down from a problem all season. We take a look at it as no totally different now. … We put ourselves within the place to be on this sequence with a group that’s received and finished it earlier than. We’re wanting ahead to Recreation 6. We’re wanting ahead to popping out and getting the win, forcing a Recreation 7.”
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