“This is telling everybody shut the hell up” - Shaquille O’Neal believes the Warriors will easily win the title if Steph Curry and Klay Thompson get hot, says this will be their best championship
Steph Curry continued his great run of games this postseason with a game-high 29 points for the Golden State Warriors on Sunday. The 107-88 victory evened their NBA Finals with the Boston Celtics at one game apiece.
Shaquille O'Neal, on TNT's "The Big Podcast with Shaq," spoke about how the Warriors could win it all this season:
"If Klay and Steph get hot, I see them putting this team away easily. I kinda know what it feels like when you reach the top and all of a sudden you're at the bottom.
"Google me, Chuck"
-@SHAQ (probably) 🤣 #NBAFinals https://t.co/grIRD654Gs
"So, they're finally here again. If they win this one, this will probably be their best championship even when they had KD (Kevin Durant) two years in a row. If they win this year, this will be their best championship, because this is telling everybody (to) shut the hell up."
Curry averaged 31.5 points in Games 1 and 2. Amid Thompson's up-and-down postseason, his all-around performances have helped GSW reach the NBA Finals.
Is the volume at which Klay shoots the ball a big problem for Steph Curry and company?
Klay Thompson's lackluster Sunday performance (11 points, three rebounds, one assist) sparked talk about whether he will show up big in the NBA Finals.
Klay Thompson went missing in Game 1 AND Game 2:
10-33 FG (30%)
4-15 3PT (26%) https://t.co/gWV0EhbuLH
On the one hand, had Steph Curry and Jordan Poole (17 points) failed to turn in their performances yesterday, Thompson's 4-for-19 shooting looks exponentially worse. On the other hand, how is Klay supposed to find rhythm for the biggest stage in basketball without getting up shots?
The graphic above tracks Golden State's 3-point shooting percentage from Game 2 of the NBA Finals to Game 1 of the second round against Memphis.
There are only one or two instances where the red-line (3-point percentage without Thompson) is markedly above the blue-line (with Klay). That implies Thompson is hurting the Warriors' overall 3-point shooting percentage.
While there were two massive dips, meaning that if it wasn't for Thompson in Game 5 vs. Dallas and Game 6 vs. Memphis, the percentage would have spiralled.
Thompson is one of the greatest shooters of all time, a potential Hall of Famer and one of the best 3-and-D players to ever play. As Stephen A. Smith has pointed out on several occasions, Klay doesn't need to prove his greatness to anybody.
Rhythm and consistency coming off two major injuries is a tall task. But with closeout performances like those against Dallas and Memphis, Thompson is on his way to restoring arguably the greatest backcourt in basketball.