If there was a silver lining to the Warriors’ blowout loss to the Grizzlies in the Western Conference semifinals, it’s that Golden State got to close out Memphis in front of its home fans in Game 6.
Warriors basketball operations consultant Zaza Pachulia joined 95.7 The Game’s “The Morning Roast” for his bi-weekly appearance Tuesday and discussed the vibe at Chase Center as Game 6 Klay was reprised. Pachulia also discussed the challenge the Warriors face in the Western Conference Finals against Luka Donicic and the Dallas Mavericks. Check out the full interview at the 28:28 mark below:
“It was an amazing atmosphere at Chase Center,” Pachulia said. “Probably one of the best I’ve seen this year. Crowd was so into it. I think everybody understood the importance of Game 6. All of the guys let the fans cheer for something. It was a great, great atmosphere.”
Pachulia has forged a strong relationship with Klay Thompson over the years and loved seeing him lead the Warriors to another series-clinching victory.
“If you know Klay, you know this was probably the game for him, right?” Pachulia said. “To shine or do something. His nickname is Game 6 Klay Thompson. That was expected. When the game started, we were sitting in the executive suite and we were saying, ‘This is one of those games.’ He delivered and he was on fire throughout the whole game.”
Now Pachulia is eager to see how the Warriors defend Luka. A native of Georgia in Eastern Europe, Pachulia said he has a lot of respect for the way the 23-year-old Slovenian Doncic has created a name for himself.
“He earned the respect so quickly from his opponents. Being from a different country, different continent, it makes it even more difficult to earn this kind of respect. Luka was able to do it because of his professionalism, because of his game, because of his charisma. It’s good for the game. It’s good for the NBA. But this is a series where it’s not about enjoying Luka’s game. I really hope we’re going to go to the NBA Finals.”
