The Golden State Warriors need some momentum.
Stephen Curry dropped 60 points in a loss, which pretty much explains the state of the team right now.
With that in mind, Coach Steve Kerr had to make a tough decision, benching Klay Thompson down the stretch.
The Warriors were having a tough time opening up a lead vs. the struggling Brooklyn Nets, and they needed some fresh legs to take care of business.
Thompson saw his teammates jump to a big lead late in the game, and his team was able to get the win.
Following the matchup, Anthony Slater of The Athletic asked him his thoughts on not being on the floor when it mattered the most.
“Yeah, you kidding me? To go from one of the best players…It’s hard for anybody,” Thompson said.
Klay Thompson said it’s hard to not close: “Yeah, you kidding me? To go from one of the best players…It’s hard for anybody.”
Klay credited the young guys.
Draymond from off camera (to reporters): “I didn’t close Game 5 of the Finals. Who the f*** cares?” pic.twitter.com/CzYNX4vulw
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 6, 2024
And while the four-time NBA champion admitted that it was tough for him to go from being one of the best players in the league to not even closing out games, he still gave his teammates a lot of credit for getting the job done.
At the end of the day, Thompson has always been a team-first player.
He’s also a fierce competitor, and he has clearly struggled emotionally to come to terms with his current level, but that’s just the way things go for players once they reach a certain age or mileage.
Thompson overcame two major injuries and was out for a long time, and his body might be catching up with him.
He’s been inconsistent this season, and his market value may have plummeted, but he’s still one of the greatest shooters of all time and a future Hall of Famer, and no one will ever be able to take that away from him.
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