Klay Thompson praises LeBron James to carry Cavs to the finals against the Warriors: "That was a nasty big three, man…Bron is a beast”
Klay Thompson and LeBron James have had plenty of showdowns on the biggest stage in the NBA. The two talented wings faced off against each other in numerous NBA Finals.
From 2015-2018, both the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers would find themselves in the NBA Finals. Thompson and the Golden State Warriors went on to win three of those four meetings. LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers would go on to win one in 2016. It was one of the most impressive rivalries in the NBA as both teams had plenty of firepower.
For the Warriors, it was a run that would see them establish a dynasty as they won three championships. Although they got the last laugh, Warriors wing Klay Thompson came away impressed with another aspect. On a recent episode of the "All the Smoke" show, Thompson talked about how impressive the Cleveland Cavaliers teams were during that time.
"That was a nasty big three, man. They all brought the best out of each other, but the fact that they got even two wins is a testament to Bron, the role guys did their job. Shump was a tough defender, they had toughness on that team. It's like if you don't put shooting around LeBron, you're not gonna get the most out of him. So they were still really good.
Obviously not 2016, but they didn't shy away from the moment. And like, they had us on the ropes 2-1. We had a question ourselves, like, man, do we really want this? But it was, it was awesome, man. Like, that was that was surreal. We got the job done.
Thompson went on to praise then superstar forward LeBron James during those performances. Many have admired how dominant James was as he did everything in his power to get the Cavaliers over the Warriors. In the 2016 NBA Finals, James averaged 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds and 8.9 assists per game.
But yeah, Bron is a beast. My goodness, he was like a triple double last series. I don't care what the shooting splits were. You had to shoot all the shots and.It's incredible. Then I give the other guys guys credit too, because just they didn't deflate when Kyrie and KLove went out."
Klay Thompson praises LeBron James from previous NBA Finals showdowns
The Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers will go down in history for their NBA Finals showdowns over the span of four years. There was plenty of superstars that played at the highest level during those games.
Golden State had players such as Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala. The Cavaliers had superstar point guard Kyrie Irving, forward Kevin Love and impressive pieces such as Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith. Although the Warriors were dominant in the meetings, it was still some of the best basketball in recent memory.
Welcome to the 40/40 Club! 🔥
Six years ago today, LeBron James and Kyrie Irving dropped 41 points each in Game 5 of the NBA Finals to kickstart the Cavaliers 3-1 comeback over the Warriors. https://t.co/zAahtUs9Pp
From moments such as LeBron James' memorable block against Andre Iguodala. To Kyrie Irving's game-winner against the Golden State Warriors. To even Kevin Durant's series clinching three-pointer on the road against the Cavaliers. There was no shortage of memorable play between the two teams, as proved by Klay Thompson's comments regarding LeBron James.