Golden State Warriors: 5 Takeaways From Game 6 vs. Thunder

2. Klay Saved The Day

Leading up to Game 6 and even during Game 6, all the talk was about how Steph Curry needed to have a vintage MVP performance, heat up from three-point range and carry his team to victory.

As it turns out, the guy who dropped 37 points in a single quarter once upon a time was up to the challenge.

Curry delivered the knockout blows late in Game 6, but without Klay Thompson, the Warriors’ 73-win season would be over. It’s not hyperbole to say that it was one of the most clutch non-Finals performances in playoff history given the stakes.

Finishing with a game-high 41 points, the other Splash Brother simply would not allow his team to lose. He drilled an NBA playoff record 11 three-pointers, shattering the previous record of nine.

Thompson went 11-for-18 from deep and 14-for-30 overall, and as all of if this weren’t enough, he was also tasked with defending Westbrook for large stretches of the night.

Entering the fourth quarter, OKC led by eight points. In the final period, Thompson (19 points, 6-of-9 shooting, 5-of-6 shooting from three-point range) outscored the Thunder (18 points) by himself.

Before Game 6, I wrote that the Warriors needed the Splash Brothers to light it up in a way they hadn’t yet in this series. The Dubs had shot 30.2 percent from deep in the two prior games in OKC, with Thompson (29.5 percent) and Curry (37.3 percent) well below their regular season averages.

In the possible turning point of this series, Thompson was the one who carried the load as the Law of Averages finally kicked back in.

It was a masterful performance, one that saved the Warriors’ season and reminded us of just how underrated this Splash Brother still is.

Let’s put it this way: When the owner of the team you play for is bowing down before you…you did something right.

Next: No. 1