Thompson engineers explosive comeback
SAN FRANCISCO — Klay Thompson heard it all: That he wouldn’t be the same player. That he would have to settle for a reduced role. That he would lose his explosiveness.
But in the span of a few seconds Sunday night, Thompson showed his doubters — and, for that matter, the world — that a 941-day hiatus from games hadn’t quelled his greatness.
Late in the second quarter of the Golden State Warriors’ 96-82 win at Chase Center, he crossed over Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen, took two giant strides into the key and threw down a one-handed dunk over two defenders.
As a sell-out crowd roared, Thompson furrowed his brow and drew back the left side of his mouth. What made that snarl — and the highlight that preceded it — so special was that Thompson has never been considered an elite athlete. Even before he underwent surgeries to repair a torn ACL and a torn Achilles tendon, his teammates often joked that he could barely dunk.
But there Thompson was in his first game in more than 2½ years, breaking down a defender off the dribble and hammering home perhaps the most impressive slam of his career. It was a moment that defied logic.
“I didn’t know I was going to dunk on someone first game,” Thompson told NBC Sports Bay Area after the game. “Hooray for me.”
As he toiled through two serious injury rehabs over the past 31 months, Thompson was told that he should expect his athleticism to diminish.
This was no huge concern to the Warriors, given that Thompson’s game hasn’t relied on explosiveness. This is a man who built a reputation as one of the best shooters in NBA history through a simple, almost monotonous motion: plant, catch, release.
Thompson’s love for jumpers has been wellchronicled, and two major injuries appeared to fuel his need to get up shots. In 20 minutes Sunday, he attempted 18 shots, making seven of them on his way to 17 points, three rebounds, one assist and two turnovers.
The crowd hardly complained. They had paid a lot of money to see Thompson enter an NBA game for the first time since he tore his left ACL in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals.
And even though he appeared out of rhythm at times, he provided plenty of entertainment.
There was the layup 40 seconds into regulation. There was his first 3-pointer of the night, a catch-andshoot classic, late in the second quarter. There was a seven-point barrage early in the third quarter, capped by a 3pointer and Thompson screaming toward the crowd.
“He wasn’t shy was he?” Warriors coach Steve Kerr mused postgame. “Not that we would ever expect Klay to be shy. I was amazed at his poise out there, and his confidence after being out for so long.”
What perhaps felt even better than the dunk, though, was the chant from the crowd as he checked out with less than eight minutes left in a convincing win: “KLAY! KLAY! KLAY!”
After sitting down for a moment, he stood back up, walked to the baseline, turned toward the crowd and raised his arms. This was a night worth savoring.