Apr 12, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant (24) dribbles against Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson (11) during the game at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
Is that title badly timed? Maybe a little too soon after the Kobe Bryant injury last night? Just another reminder that these things can happen to anybody, at any time, and basketball fans everywhere hurt for him. The Lakers still beat GS in a thriller, by the way, which was more to the point of what I’m talking about here.
The simple fact is that Golden State has 2 games to correct itself and go in to the Playoffs feeling good, but it’s going to be tough. San Antonio comes to town, then out to Portland. After losing back to backers, you couldn’t have dreamed a more difficult combo than that to finish the regular season. So the question arises for ex-WSU man Klay Thompson, “how key are you gonna be?”
Thompson is the wheel that makes this thing go. No, he’s not the main piece to the puzzle, that honor goes to Mr. Steph Curry and Mr. David Lee, but Klay’s the cog in the middle of it all that has to perform at his highest right now. 25 points in 43 minutes wasn’t quite enough against L.A., but that’s the type of output he must put forth to close out the year and he might need to raise it even more, with Andrew Bogut hurt. Golden State doesn’t have the most prolific Playoff track record to run on, nor do they have an easy road by any means in 2013 (still to be determined).
Klay Thompson’s rise or fall going into the Playoffs will likely determine a lot of things once they start.
By the way, for ACU this is just the beginning of our coverage on the next couple weeks of Warriors basketball (maybe more), seeing the Klay is going to be in the thick of things, why wouldn’t we pay attention? And oh yeah, back to Kobe (picture above), do you see Klay straight D’ing him up before the injury?! That’s a poster every Cougar should have!
Go Cougs!