Golden State Warriors: 5 Takeaways From Game 5 vs. Blazers
3. Klay Is On A Tear
If anyone was uncertain about Klay Thompson being deserving of an All-NBA spot, his absurdly good performances in the playoffs have put those doubts to rest. With Curry out of the lineup, Thompson became the team’s go-to scorer, and he’s showed what he’d be capable of if he were the No. 1 option on another team.
So far in the playoffs, Thompson is averaging a team-high 27.2 points per game on insane .474/.475/.891 shooting splits. In the six games the Warriors played without Curry, he averaged 29.5 points on 46.2 percent shooting from the field and 42.9 percent shooting from deep.
Klay Thompson scored 16 in the 3Q + has a game-high 33p on 13/17 FG's (6/9 on 3's). #SplashChart: pic.twitter.com/XVn4IScUGP
— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) May 12, 2016
In the close-out Game 5 Wednesday night, Thompson went nuclear in the third quarter for 16 of his game-high 33 points, helping the Dubs turn a five-point deficit into a two-point advantage.
Considering he’s done all this efficient scoring while guarding the likes of James Harden and Damian Lillard is extraordinary, especially since he held the Beard to 41 percent shooting in the first round and Dame to 36.2 percent shooting in this round.
In last year’s NBA Finals, Thompson visibly struggled, averaging 15.8 points per game on 40.9 percent shooting. This season, Curry’s two-week absence may have better prepared the other Splash Brother to own the moment over the course of a more difficult title run.
Next: No. 2