"Thanks for reminding me of my delightful shooting percentage" - Klay Thompson on NBA Finals shooting woes and watching "Game 6 Klay" YouTube videos to get back into groove
Klay Thompson is yet to make a splash in the NBA Finals. The Golden State Warriors sharpshooter knows it too.
And no - he doesn’t need to be reminded of his 10-of-33 shooting so far against the Boston Celtics. This also includes his Game 2 showing where he went 1-for-8 from deep.
“Thanks for reminding me of my delightful shooting percentage”, Klay Thompson said jokingly about his struggles to start the 2022 NBA Finals.
Klay Thompson 3-point shooting this playoffs:
— 42% when he doesn’t dribble
— 30% when he dribbles https://t.co/qk7LLa9erL
Thompson, who is playing in his first NBA Finals since suffering a torn left ACL in Game 6 of the 2019 Finals against the Toronto Raptors, is working to get out of this mini-slump.
How?
Klay Thompson is going to YouTube.
Yes, YouTube!
Klay Thompson went missing in Game 1 AND Game 2:
10-33 FG (30%)
4-15 3PT (26%) https://t.co/gWV0EhbuLH
The legend of Game 6 Klay
In fact, he went onto YouTube yesterday, typed in “Game 6 Klay” and pulled up some of his great performances to help keep his confidence high and also to see his form.
“Gosh, probably just YouTube “Game 6 Klay” because there were some very high-pressurized situations I was in. I ended up shooting the ball well. When you can do it when your back is against the wall, you can do it at any given moment. It's just about keeping that mental strong”, Klay Thompson said. “That's the beauty of playing in today's age. You can go on YouTube and look up all your great moments. For me it's about keeping that same mindset of shooters shoot. I'd rather go down swinging than being gun shy.”
“All the best do that. I like that,” Warriors teammate Steph Curry said of Klay Thompson watching his Game 6 highlights on YouTube.
The 5-time NBA All-Star has never been gun-shy, especially when it comes to Game 6s in Playoffs. Thompson’s heroics in a Game 6 are well documented.
On May 13th, in Game 6 of the Western Conference semi-finals vs. the Memphis Grizzlies, Klay Thompson had a game-high-tying 30 points, connecting on 8 three-pointers. It was the 4th time in Thompson's career that he made at least 8 three-pointers in a playoff game, joining teammate Steph Curry, Ray Allen, and Damian Lillard as the only players in NBA history to it.
Klay Thompson is the only player in the 2022 NBA Playoffs with at least TWO games of EIGHT made threes.
He will deliver, as he has done time and time again. https://t.co/d1VvWgn5lN
In Klay Thompson's playoff career, he is currently averaging 20.6 points, while shooting nearly 50% from downtown. Thompson has scored at least 25 points in 6 of the last 7 Game 6s in which he has played.
“Like you said, just studying the history of my career, realizing that it's not a linear progression. There could be nights where I'm hitting everything, I'm not hitting the rim at all. It's just about realizing that, like, greatness takes time. It doesn't happen overnight.”
“For what I've been through the last couple years, I will gladly be in this position, especially considering where I was at last year during June. Me and Rick Celebrini in the gym, just two in the arena, it was empty. There's nobody in the Bay during that time”, Klay Thompson said.
“To be back here on this stage, just got to remind yourself to keep working because it's a blessing and really an honor to be here.”
It has been a long road back for Klay Thompson
Klay Thompson is thankful because in his last Finals appearance, he had scored 30 points in Game 6 of the NBA finals in 2019 before he suffered a torn left ACL.
Thompson returned earlier this season and despite career lows in shooting during the regular season, he turned it on earlier in the 2022 Playoffs, and it’s a big reason why the Warriors are back in the Finals.
“History with him has shown there's no predictor. He can just take it to another level. Regular season, playoffs, he's always just found a way to get himself going. Especially in the playoffs, just to make an impact that's loud. Usually it's really loud,” Klay Thompson's teammate, Steph Curry said.
“His demeanor never really changes. It's not really something you can just look at and be, oh... if you saw him now, you'd think he's averaging 50 in this series. He's got just a very confident look about him. That's the best thing about him. It's all about the work you put in, it's about the mindset. He doesn't need any teaching points on that. That's why there's so much confidence that at any moment he can go off.”
A 3-time NBA champion, Klay Thompson holds the NBA single-game record for most 3-point field goals made and attempted, and broke the NBA record for points scored in a quarter with 37 points back in 2015.
I'm concerned about KLAY THOMPSON A LOT! https://t.co/BcrADMJ2Kq
His Warriors teammates have no doubt that the Splash Brother will get going against Boston, despite not shooting well to start this series that's tied at a game apiece.
Draymond Green opens up about Klay
“As far as "Game 6 Klay", I haven't seen him YouTubing it. The reality is if I did, we'd probably make fun of him. So it's probably good that I haven't. But I think for us, you tend to go back to those experiences. You tend to draw from that because ultimately when you think about things like from our perspective, especially a shooter like Klay, you always hear the term, oh, get to the free-throw line or get a layup, because you just need to see the ball go through the rim”, Klay Thompson's Golden State teammate Draymond Green said.
“It's not always that simple in the game. So if you can go back to that and just a reminder, like, I know I can do that. I know what I'm capable of. I know I can go back, I can feel that and it gets you to feeling good about yourself. I think that's a very big deal. I think that's an underrated thing. It's the power of the mind. I always talk about how powerful one's mind is.”
And here’s Draymond’s response to my question about Klay Thompson and if he also goes back to watch footage of himself after a bad game. https://t.co/LMlkCkJkEr
“Obviously, we all know that in the world. The power of the mind, if I can see that, I can get that in my memory bank and understand it. Now I can bring that to fruition. Now I can lean up on that. I know I'm capable of doing that. I definitely have times where I go back and I look at old games. Making shots or defending -- whatever it is that you feel you need to come up with and just try to draw from that experience.”
Green jokes about YouTube but Curry has found himself doing the same thing, and not only watching himself but he’s watched his brother Seth Curry and his father Dell Curry, as well as videos of NBA greats including Reggie Miller and Ray Allen.
“It's not so much a YouTube thing, it's more being an NBA fan and just watching -- it's like when you're at church, the pastor is giving a sermon and you're over there with your phone,” Curry joked. “Just more so being an NBA fan, consuming as much basketball as possible, you start to get motivated and inspired by all different type of people.”
How Klay plans to bounce back in the 2022 Finals
Studying himself in the two games against the Celtics, Thompson knows what needs to be corrected.
“I mean, when I watched the film, I probably seemed a little rushed. I wasn't underneath my shot. This is nothing I'm immune to. I've been through shooting slumps before. The best part is, it's how you respond.”
“Come Game 3, I'll probably not do much differently rather than just play with great pace and pump great shots. When I tend to do that, I tend to have a big night.”
Klay Thompson and the Golden State coaching staff believe he’s pressing a little, which could throw things off, but there is by no means a major concern with him.
To help Thompson get out of this so-called mini-slump in the NBA Finals, the plan will be to try to get Thompson into a rhythm early, starting in Game 3 in Boston.
Thompson has been studying tape of his shots since college. He would watch anytime he went into a shooting slump to see what was working and how the ball came off his fingertips.
In Game 1 of the NBA Finals vs. Boston, the ball came off his fingertips well enough for Thompson to move into second place on the all-time career playoffs made 3-pointers list, passing LeBron James.
SPLASH ROYALTY.
@KlayThompson has passed LeBron James for second-most career playoff threes in NBA history ☔️ https://t.co/x06DfeAa5Z
Curry, Thompson, and James are the only players in NBA history with at least 400 career 3-pointers made in the NBA Playoffs, and Golden State expects Thompson to hit a few more in this series, and on the road where Golden State has been very good.
The Warriors have won at least one road game in each of the last 26 playoff series, an NBA record streak that began in 2013, and Klay Thompson has had his hands all over this streak.
Thompson, Curry, and Green are the only players to win at least 1 road game in every playoff series they've played in, and they will need to win on the road again if they will host another trophy.
A win in Game 3 and the trio will match the most by any trio in the NBA over the last 50 seasons.