NBA History: 5 Greatest individual performances of the last decade
With just a few days of 2019 remaining, now is the perfect time to reflect on the past decade of NBA action.
Over the last 10 years, there has been no shortage of memorable moments, and while the likes of James Harden and Luka Doncic are now putting up huge numbers on a nightly basis, there are a number of individual performances over the past decade that have left a lasting impact.
So, as we head towards 2020, here we will take a look at the five greatest performances of the last decade.
#5 Klay Thompson - 2016 Western Conference Finals (Game 6): 41/4/0 on 14/31 shooting
The Golden State Warriors entered the 2016 Western Conference Finals coming off the best regular season in NBA history, but Steve Kerr's team found themselves 3-1 down following a series of excellent performances from the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Warriors took Game 5 with a gutsy performance, but the Thunder were dominant for much of Game 6 and led 94–87 with less than six minutes left. However, a huge individual performance from Klay Thompson proved enough for the Warriors to level the series, before going on to advance to the 2016 Finals.
After scoring 19 points in the first half, Thompson exploded in the second half as he dropped a further 26. Thompson finished the game with a playoff-record 11 three-pointers and he missed just seven of his 18 attempts - with his final 3-pointer handed the Warriors a 104-101 lead with just 90 seconds remaining.
The All-Star also helped lock down Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant in the closing stages, and it is difficult to think of a more clutch performance from the past decade.