A Sense of Doubt blog post #2521 - Klay Thompson is back on the NBA court after two years recovering from two injuries
I already posted a little about Klay's return on Sunday (see below).
from - Sunday, January 9, 2022
A Sense of Doubt blog post #2518 - Not Apathy, Purposeful Ignorance - Weekly Hodge Podge for 2201.09
Klay Thompson has 17 points in return, Warriors beat Cavs
SAN FRANCISCO -- — Klay Thompson couldn't wait to get his first shot up after more than 2 1/2 years away.
Thompson's running layup 40 seconds into Golden State's 96-82 victory over Cleveland on Sunday night was a sign that the five-time All-Star is feeling just fine — even if coach Steve Kerr drew up the play for someone else.
"He wasn't shy, was he?" Kerr said. "Not that we would ever expect Klay to be shy. I drew up the first play not for him but for him to catch it and move it on. I should have known better."
Thompson finished with 17 points in his return from two devastating injuries on a night when he was the toast of San Francisco.
Thompson was 7 of 18 from the field and 3 of 8 from 3-point range. He added three rebounds, an assist and a steal in 20 minutes, walking off the court to a thunderous ovation followed by chants of "Klay! Klay!" from the Chase Center crowd.
As for the first play? Thompson said he couldn't help himself.
"I was so excited I saw a lane to the basket that I just took the opportunity," Thompson said. " After that I thought it was going to be one of those nights where I might be unconscious. I did not shoot as well as I wanted to but I'm so happy I can even look at the stat sheet and see my name there. It's been a long run. I'm not going to say it equivalent to winning a championship but it was pretty close."
Stephen Curry had 29 points, five rebounds and five assists, and Jordan Poole added 14 points for Golden State. The Warriors snapped a two-game losing streak to tie Phoenix for the NBA lead at 30-9.
Lamar Stevens had 17 points and four rebounds for Cleveland.
Thompson missed 941 days and hadn't played since tearing the ACL in his left knee in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals against Toronto. While rehabbing from surgery for that injury, he tore his right Achilles tendon scrimmaging on his own in November 2020.
The five-time All-Star finally made his much-anticipated return, and reached two career milestones — 12,000 points and 1,800 3-pointers.
At one point Thompson brought the crowd to its feet when he drove around a defender near the 3-point line and scored on a jarring one-handed dunk. Thompson snarled and pounded his chest as he walked back toward midcourt. Moments later he made his first 3-pointer to go over 12,000 points and put the Warriors up 49-41.
"He's been talking about how he feels and what's going to be the last thing to come back, and that was the answer," Curry said about Thompson's dunk. "It was amazing to watch and the obviously the building went going crazy from start to finish."
After spending time on a stationary bicycle, Thompson started the third quarter and made three consecutive shots, including his 1,800th 3-pointer.
"I tried to visualize this moment for years," Thompson said. "I'm just excited to get it out of the way now and I can get back in the rhythm of things. This is unbelievable. This is worth every second."
A FAVOR FOR A FRIEND
Draymond Green injured his calf during warm-ups but convinced Golden State's coaching staff to allow him to be introduced with the starting lineup as a tribute to Thompson.
TIP-INS
Cavaliers: Isaac Okoro missed his third straight game because of a sprained left elbow.
Warriors: Golden State has won 10 straight against Cleveland. … Some courtside seats were sold for more than $20,000.
UP NEXT
Cavaliers: At Sacramento on Monday night.
Warriors: At Memphis on Tuesday night.
------
NBA players celebrate Klay Thompson's return after more than two years
For the last two years, Klay Thompson's Instagram has been a place for fans to follow along with the Golden State Warriors guard while he's been away from the game. In addition to updates on his recovery from a torn ACL and an Achilles tear, Thompson has given fans an inside look at how he's spent his 941 days away from the NBA.
Staying true to form, Thompson took to Instagram on Saturday to announce his return. Sharing a clip from "Space Jam," Thompson captioned the post, "How I'm pulling up to chase [Center] tomorrow."
"IM SO EXCITED TO SEE YALL DUBNATION! LETS GET IT," Thompson wrote.
Thompson also shared a message from the team's account, in which he had four words for fans.
"Dub Nation, I'm back."
Ahead of Sunday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, several of Thompson's teammates took to social media to celebrate the Splash Brother's return. Stephen Curry went so far as to change his Twitter profile picture to a photo of Thompson.
Draymond Green, who also took to Twitter to celebrate "Klay Day," was so determined to honor Thompson that he was on the court for the opening tipoff despite being sidelined with an injury.
Thompson's teammates weren't the only ones excited for his return. Several players from around the league took to social media to welcome the Warriors guard back to the court.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James shared his excitement via emojis, while Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry, Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Patrick Beverley and Utah Jazz shooting guard Donovan Mitchell kept their messages simple.
Even Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade woke up excited for Thompson's long-awaited return.
The excitement continued prior to tipoff as Thompson's Warriors teammates showed up to the arena rocking various Klay jerseys for the occasion.
The energy was palpable as the Splash Bro received his first Chase Center introduction, much to the delight of the crowd.
Then the 31-year-old wasted no time getting his first bucket.
Thompson's warm reception extended beyond the basketball world as Bay Area rappers, and noted Warriors fans, MC Hammer and G-Eazy took to Twitter to express their feelings on the five-time All-Star's return.
In the second quarter, Thompson got the Golden State bench on its feet when he threw down this dunk:
If Klay dunking made you feel some type of way, you might be interested to know he drained a 3 too.
Yup, still pure.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
- Days ago = 2385 days ago
- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I plan to continue Hey Mom posts at least twice per week but will continue to post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.
No comments:
Post a Comment