The time has come: Klay Thompson has resurfaced again and he has gone to bed, after an exhibition to remember, as the best player in the world. After excessively speculative months and a hopeful start that later turned into a huge number of months full of irregularity, Klay has returned to the best of him: 38 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, only 2 turnovers and a tremendous effectiveness in less than 34 minutes of play, with 15 of 24 in field goals and 8 of 14 in triples. Klay did not go to the personnel line throughout the game, the Warriors got a +27 with him on court and also beat one of the great candidates for the ring, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Bucks. For Klay, the perfect time to emerge.
Once again we have seen that player who was the perfect complement for Stephen Curry in the Warriors of the dynasty, those of the 5 consecutive Finals and the 3 rings. A cheeky team that had Klay as its eternal support, a player who covered Curry’s deficiencies in defense and scored without dribbling the ball, without raising it, without dribbling. A historically good shooting guard, an absolutely generational shooter and a man who preferred to play low on his salary to stay with the Warriors instead of choosing a solo project. And a man who was injured, first the cruciate and then the Achilles tendonand that has curdled a formidable performance in the midst of a moment that continues to be one of logical adaptation.
After a first quarter marked by equality, the Warriors exploded in the central part of the game, scoring 39 and 36 points in the second and third periods. Klay specifically exploded in the second, in which he went to 17, with 5 of 6 in triples. The Warriors, who led by 21, barely speculated on the score and wisely maintained their lead until the end of the match after brilliantly taking it in the second period and increasing it in the third and overwhelmed the Bucks on the rebound (55 to 39), they distributed 33 assists (for 28 of their rivals) and shot with 40% in triplesa spectacular figure that the Bucks, who only lost 4 balls but found themselves at a disadvantage too soon, could not face.
At the other end of Klay we saw a Stephen Curry who made one of the most discreet performances of the season, scoring only 8 points, although he reached 20,000 in his career. Jonathan Kuminga did an excellent job off the bench (14+11), Jordan Poole went to 30 points with 5 of 10 in triples and Andrew Wiggins to 21, becoming more like the player selected for the All Star than the one we have seen in recent weeks. And all waiting for Draymond Green, whose return is getting closer after a really long absence (he has not played since January 9, with just a few seconds as a tribute to Klay, who returned that day). In the Bucks the best was, of course, Giannis Antetokounmpo, who went to 31 points. But that nothing could do against the power of Klay, the return of the prodigal son. A man who had returned to the slopes but who has had, now, the true return of him. A hero.
