If you think about it, Klay Thompson is picking up right where the Warriors left off.
Day 0 of his 941-day hiatus was during Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals, when he limped off the court after tearing his ACL. During his two-plus seasons he missed, the Warriors didn’t appear in the playoffs. In a way, it’s almost like he didn’t miss anything but two years of garbage time.
On Sunday, Klay looked cool, calm and collected as he gathered for his shot attempts. He’s been here before. It’s pressure-packed, but it’s only the second round. Thompson had wild final minute – and buried the game-winner – in Sunday’s 117-116 win over the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.
"That was a fun night," Thompson said. "After the two years I had and now I'm back to feeling the highs and lows of playoff basketball, it's awesome."
After the game, Thompson briefly lingered on the floor to savor the moments. He's not too far removed from his grueling rehab from ACL and Achilles injuries, which finally came to an end less than four months ago.
"I just wanted to take it all in, soak it all in," Thompson said. "I know it's not the championship, but it's still a huge win for us. I was pretty juiced up."
Klay finished with a ho-hum 15 points on Sunday, but no three points were bigger than his splash in the final minute. After an intense contest when Draymond Green was ejected right before halftime, the Warriors trailed by two while inbounding the ball with about 40 seconds left.
Klay lost his man Desmond Bane while cutting on an Andrew Wiggins screen toward the top of the key, before shaking Bane with another pump fake. He set, shot and splashed, and it ended up being the game’s final bucket.
Thompson also hit another timely 3-pointer with 9:29 left to help tilt the game in the Warriors direction and put them up six.
Much like his fellow shooters, Steph Curry and Jordan Poole, Thompson isn’t immune from free throw woes. Uncharacteristically he missed a pair of free throws with 6.7 seconds left. But Klay redeemed himself. Big time.
On the game’s final play, Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant drove toward the bucket with a full head of steam. Thompson saw Gary Payton II needed help so he left his man and dropped into the lane, making Morant try a difficult left-handed scoop finish. It rimmed out and the Warriors won.
“He felt terrible about missing the free throws, but it happens,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “Get in line. Lots of great shooters have missed free throws down the stretch. You can always make up for it by making a great defensive play, which he did. He was able to seal the win.”
"I'm proud of myself for turning that page and to be focused on the defensive end," Thompson said.
Klay also got some guidance Andre Iguodala, who calmed him down after the game. Thompson picked up his third foul early in the second half and said he was "playing angry," hence his fiery reaction to the final buzzer. But as Iguodala told Thompson, the Warriors are here to win four games not one.
"I'm very thankful for Andre's leadership," Thompson said. "He came in and he calmed me down."
When Thompson was making his rehab, he could only dream about moments like Sunday afternoon at FedEx Forum. It’s a reality now, and the Warriors are one win closer to Western Conference Finals.
By taking Game 1 on the road, the Warriors have also claimed homecourt advantage, as three of the next four will be played at Chase Center.
“With the core, we got championship DNA,” Steph Curry told ABC after the game. “We want to utilize that.”
