May 27, 2018
Klay Thompson had drained one of his nine three-point shots and stared right at Houston's James Harden. He put his chest into the likely most valuable player as he guarded him up the floor, bumping with him until officials called the foul.
Warriors force Game 7 after Klay Thompson shines in 115-86 victory over Rockets
Thompson turned his back and walked down the court, not intimidated by the contact. He shook his head.
Not Saturday night. Not in Game 6.
His Golden State team facing its earliest elimination since 2014, Thompson shot the defending champions into a Game 7, scoring 35 points in the Warriors' 115-86 win at Oracle Arena.
"The guy's a machine," coach Steve Kerr said. "…He seems to thrive in these situations. He was fantastic."
Game 7 will be Monday night in Houston.
As the Warriors went down by 17 in the first quarter, it was Thompson who sparked a second-quarter comeback. As the Warriors opened the third quarter down 10, it was Thompson who opened the typical Warriors third-quarter barrage.
And it was Thompson draining one more shot to get to 35 points — three more than Harden, besting him in another chapter of one of the longest rivalries in the NBA.
These two fought when Harden wore "Artesia" and Thompson wore "Santa Margarita" on their chests. It continued in the final years of the Pac-10 whenever Harden's Arizona State met Thompson's Washington State. And it happened again Saturday in Oakland.
"Time flies," Thompson said.
Thompson's nine threes tied for the second most in NBA playoff history, two behind his record 11 that he made in 2016. That outburst came in a Game 6 with the Warriors trailing Oklahoma City 3-2 in the series before Thompson saved the season.
Saturday night, like he did that series in Oklahoma City, Thompson played with tremendous freedom under the high pressure.
"Klay doesn't worry too much about repercussions. He doesn't worry about judgment and results. I think he just loves to play," Kerr said. "He's so comfortable in his own skin. I just think he wants to go out there and hoop, and he doesn't worry about much else. So the pressure doesn't seem to bother him much. He just competes and plays."
While Harden scored 32, he faded as the game went on. Thompson opened with just four points in the first quarter before he took over.
Golden State was lucky to have a player as calm as Thompson because for the first 12 minutes, there was a whole bunch of reasons to worry.
The Rockets opened the game with maybe their best quarter of the series. With Chris Paul stuck on the sideline because of a strained hamstring, Houston scored 39 points in the first quarter, with Harden, Eric Gordon, Paul's replacement in the lineup, and Trevor Ariza combining for 33 points.
But in between all the scoring, all the made shots, the seeds of the Rockets' demise were being planted. They fumbled the ball without pressure. They stepped on the sidelines. They lobbed passes instead of firing them with precision.
The Rockets turned it over five times in the first quarter and six in the second, keeping the Warriors in the game until they turned it on in the second half.
The 21 Houston turnovers are one fewer than they had in the previous two games of the series — both wins — a direct corollary to Paul's absence.
Coach Mike D'Antoni said he doesn't know whether Paul will be ready to play Monday or not.
"I hate it, [having him] on the bench. He needs to be on the floor. He doesn't need to be anywhere near us," D'Antoni said with a laugh. "…It probably killed him more than anything sitting over there with us. He's getting a taste of 'Uh, I don't think coaching is for me.'"
If Paul plays, it'll be Thompson shadowing him like he's done for most of the series. And if he doesn't, Thompson will again be draped on Harden, getting his body into the presumptive MVP.
"It's incredible. He's just a physical phenomenon. He's got great genes. Obviously with [his father, former Laker] Mychal, his mom Julie was a volleyball player in college, his brothers are all athletes. He's a physical specimen," Kerr said. "The fact that he can guard someone like Harden and run off screens like he's Reggie Miller, he's amazing."
Kevin Durant, who added 23 points, always will be a great offensive option. Stephen Curry, who scored 29, is the star who made the Warriors. But Thompson, when things have been roughest, always has managed to come through.
"I don't know if I was born for it, but I definitely worked my butt off to get to this point," he said. "And … I mean, I guess you could say I was born for it.
"Man, that felt good."
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Competition Receives a Record Number of Submissions that Highlight the Power of Innovation SHENZHEN, China, March 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- SkyPixel, one of the world's most popular online communities for aerial photography and videography, today announces the winners of the SkyPixel 9th Annual Photo & Video Contest. Co-organized with DJI, this year's competition attracted over 130,000 submissions – a 100% increase from the previous year. The contest welcomed submissions from across the creator community, which includes professionals, aerial enthusiasts, and creative newcomers, showcasing their personal histories through the art of visual innovation. A Contest Shaped by You The SkyPixel Annual Photo & Video Contest is a testament to the power of innovation led imagery, honoring stories that shape the art of image capture both on solid ground and amidst the clouds. SkyPixel has cultivated a community-driven platform that reflects the dreams and aspirations of creators worldwide, and the annual competition has been a conduit for people who love image creation to express themselves as it authentically reflects the desires and aspirations of creators worldwide. Industry-Leading Judges The 9th Annual Photo & Video Contest was assessed by a Judging Panel of incredible professionals in the industry. In photography, seasoned experts include Wen Huang, a World Press Photo judge and Senior Editor, and Anne Farrar, Assistant Photography Chief Editor at National Geographic, Nan Li, the Photo Director of Southern Weekly, and Daniel Kordan, a renowned landscape photographer. In the video category, the judges include Michael Fitzmaurice, the Aerial Director of Photography of "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle," and Xiaoshi Zhao, known for his award-winning work on "Forever Enthralled." Bing Xi, a prominent figure in the Chinese TVC industry, and celebrated filmmaker Brandon Li round out the panel. After careful deliberation, the panel proudly presents the final winners for the year. 9th Annual Best Work Prize – Video: "Haines Alaska Through the Eyes of Luke Bredar" by Luke Bredar This year's video judging panel, which includes award-winning Cinematographers and Directors of Photography, chose Luke Bredar's video, "Haines Alaska Through the Eyes of Luke Bredar." This short film mixes heart-pounding action shots of a skier racing down a snowy mountaintop landscapes with breathtaking shots of Alaska's mountainous, winter terrain. Luke Bredar details the thought process behind the short film, "The motivation behind creating this video was to evoke themes of otherworldliness, objective risk, the interplay between risk and the essence of human spirit, solitude, impermanence, self-sufficiency, and the journey of incomplete wandering intertwined with heartbreak." This short film is an epic story made in collaboration with Matchstick Productions. Bredar explains how he pursues a better visual presentation through his creative process "I think to myself. How would my child self want to see this filmed? And I almost always get a clear vision in response. There are a myriad of challenges shooting aerial cinematography in mountain environments, but they are all ...Full story available on Benzinga.com
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