NBA Playoffs rewind: Klay Thompson’s memorable Game 6 performances

Game 6 Klay.

For some, the most immediate thought that comes to mind when associating Klay Thompson and Game 6 is the 2019 NBA Finals, where his unfortunate string of injuries began.

But before that, the name and the game were associated with excellence and dominance. Thompson repeatedly put forth his best playoff performances in some of the Warriors’ biggest games, which just so happened to come during the sixth game of their various playoff series.

As Klay and the Warriors prepare to take on the Grizzlies for a Friday night Game 6 in San Francisco, we take a look back at some of Thompson’s memorable Game 6 performances.

No Kevin Durant? No problem.

On the heels of an epic 2018 seven-game Western Conference Finals (more on that later), this was supposed to be the year that the Rockets finally took over the West. James Harden and Chris Paul were both healthy and Kevin Durant wasn’t. The Rockets could have at least won at home and forced another Game 7, but nope. Here’s what happened:

It didn’t really feel like the Warriors were going to win this series without Kevin Durant, but they did all they could to try and do the unthinkable. Klay, already battling a knee injury, was in the midst of putting together another one of his historic Game 6 performances. He had scored 30 points through nearly three quarters and the Dubs had some momentum and a shot at forcing a Game 7.

He would end up tearing his ACL and that was it for him and the Warriors that year.

This was the first time that the Kevin Durant version of Golden State had real adversity. Down 3-2 in the conference finals with their season on the line, Klay Thompson and his 35 points help lift the Warriors over the Rockets to force a Game 7.

Here it is — the most iconic and memorable Klay Thompson performance of his career. This was right in the thick of the Warriors dynasty and perhaps when they were at the height of their glory. A record-setting 73-9 regular season? Back-to-back titles on the line? The Warriors found themselves down 3-2 in the conference finals to the Kevin Durant-Russell Westbrook-led OKC Thunder.

That’s when Klay put on his cape.