A vintage Klay Thompson performance carried the Golden State Warriors to the NBA Western Conference Finals.
The performance was three years in the making for Klay who had to endure countless hours of rehab and heartache to reach this point again.
He is back shining in the playoffs after his 2 1/2-year absence with serious injuries, first recovering from surgery for a torn ACL in his left knee and then an operation for a torn right Achilles tendon.
The second half of the “splash brothers” turned on the style in game 6, scoring 30 points while draining 8 threes to carry the Warriors past the Grizzlies 110-96 in game 6 at home.
It was Thompson’s fourth career postseason game with eight 3s tying Ray Allen, Curry, and Damian Lillard for most in the NBA history.
Stephen Curry added 29 with six 3’s to lend Thompson a helping hand.
Draymond Green contributed 14 points, 15 rebounds, and eight assists while Kevon Looney returned to the starting lineup and grabbed 22 rebounds with Andrew Wiggins scoring 10 of his 18 points in the fourth with a pair of timely 3s.
It was another close game though as the Grizzlies, still without Ja Morant, would not go down without a fight.
Dillon Brooks scored 30 points with a career-best seven 3-pointers but picked up his second flagrant foul of the series. Desmond Bane added 25.
It was until Steph checked back in for the final 8:21 and delivered a 3 with 5:45 remaining before Green scored an easy dunk that capped off a 10-0 run that the Warriors felt comfortable.
The third-seeded Warriors will face the winner of the Phoenix and Dallas series in the conference finals.
Golden State is in the first conference finals since 2019 when the franchise reached its fifth straight NBA Finals before losing to Toronto, the same series Klay Thompson tore his ACL.
Now after sending home the team of NBA’s MVP and overcoming a hungry Memphis team, he and the Warriors are back again on a stage they ruled for so long.
