"He was on the bench in front of 20,000 people crying because he can’t play... It’s Disney-sque, I think" - NBA insider reviews Klay Thompson and Golden State's journey from 2019 Finals to current playoffs

Klay Thompson often spent hours after a Golden State Warriors game crying on the bench because he couldn't play.

Even Hollywood would have struggled to come up with a better script than Klay Thompson’s best game of the season pushing the Golden State Warriors to another NBA Finals berth. Thompson’s journey from two gruesome injuries to the Warriors celebrating their Western Conference title is everything that can make a fan fall in love with basketball.

The NBA landscape was very different when Thompson last played in the NBA Finals two years ago. Kevin Durant was still his teammate, while Kawhi Leonard was the Dubs’ biggest thorn from the Toronto Raptors.

From “Killa Klay” suffering an ACL injury to desperately holding back tears of joy and relief two years later, Marcus Thompson has covered it. On an episode of the Zach Lowe Podcast, The Athletic writer, who was intimately familiar with Thompson’s struggles had this to say:

“I think Klay’s been magical. Watching him suffer, he was literally suffering, Zach [Lowe]. He was struggling. He was on the bench in front of 20,000 people crying because he can’t play. So for him to go from that to here? It’s Disney-sque, I think.”

He added:

“I felt like it should be more appreciated even though he did have times where he struggled but I just felt like that was baked into what he was doing.”

Draymond Green on seeing Klay Thompson get emotional after the game:

“That’s pain. That’s joy. For us to see what he went through each and every day. That’s just a different feeling… To see him have that moment is special.”

Klay Thompson was nearing a return before the 2020-21 season started when he unbelievably tore his Achilles to push him back to another discouraging surgery and rehab. Due to what happened, the Golden State Warriors were extremely cautious with Thompson’s return to NBA action.

Soak it in, #DubNation

Four more to go. https://t.co/wmqINkhs4M

Almost five months after making his electric debut against the Cleveland Cavaliers on a cold night in January, Klay Thompson is definitely back. The five-time All-Star dropped a game-high 32 points in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals against the Dallas Mavericks. He spiked with eight triples to give the Chase Center crowd a night to remember.

Shaquill O'Neal harped on Klay Thompson being the x-factor for Golden State Warriors this season

Klay Thompson will be crucial for the Golden State Warriors to win yet another NBA title. [Photo: Golden State of Mind]

Shaquille O'Neal believes, on The Big Podcast with Shaq, that the guy who once exploded for 60 points on 11 dribbles is somewhere inside Klay Thompson. He predicted that once the three-time NBA champion gets his rhythm going, the series against the Dallas Mavericks is over.

On cue, “Game 6 Klay” appeared a match earlier and torched the Mavericks in a scintillating shooting display. The Bay Area team is nearly unstoppable when they have the “old Klay” back in the lineup.

At this time last year, Klay Thompson says he was just starting to jog while rehabbing his Achilles.

Last night:
💧 32 PTS
💧 8-16 3PT https://t.co/vlgMnWvlwj

Thompson’s performance will once again be crucial in the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics’ no-hold-barred defense. Boston will have to contend with Steph Curry, Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins already. If “Killa Klay” continues his impressive form, the Celtics will be hard-pressed to stop the Warriors’ dynasty.