Getty Klay Thompson looks on during Game 1 of the 2022 NBA Finals.
Klay Thompson is far from throwing in the towel after his team’s Game 1 meltdown.
The Golden State Warriors collapsed against the Boston Celtics on Thursday, taking a 12-point lead into the start of the fourth quarter but watching it evaporate in the last six minutes as Boston surged to a 120-108 victory. Following the game, the Warriors looked to move past the rough performance, and Thompson made a vow for the team in Game 2.
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Thompson Addresses Loss
After the game, Thompson admitted that both he and his teammates failed to rise to the occasion. Thompson played well enough, making 6 of his 14 shots including 3-of-7 from behind the three-point arc, but was on the court for the fourth-quarter collapse as the team watched the Celtics catch fire and go on a 17-0 run.
Thompson admitted it was a bad loss, but vowed that his team would come back better on Sunday.
“It’s never fun, and it hurts,” Thompson said, via SI.com. “On the big stage, obviously. But like Draymond said, there’s no reason to panic. I like our chances still. We’ll go home, digest what happened, and I know we’ll be better Game 2.”
SPLASH ROYALTY.
@KlayThompson has passed LeBron James for second-most career playoff threes in NBA history ☔️
It has been an especially long road for Thompson, who missed more than two full years after a pair of back-to-back injuries starting with a torn ACL in the 2019 NBA Finals. He returned in January and picked up where he left off, averaging 20.4 points and a career-high 3.9 rebounds per game. Thompson grew emotional at times during his long rehab, a two-year stretch where the Warriors failed to make the playoffs in back-to-back seasons.
The late collapse in Thursday’s game erased a historic performance from Steph Curry, who erupted for a 21-point first quarter. Despite his brilliance early, the Warriors were not able to pull away from the Celtics until late in the third quarter, but watched it evaporate just as quickly over the course of the game’s final six minutes.
Teammates Echo Message
Thompson’s teammates echoed his message of calm after squandering a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter of Game 1. Head coach Steve Kerr gave the Celtics credit for making 21 three-pointers, saying they had a “brilliant” performance in the final frame.
“Those guys, give them credit, they knocked down every big shot in the fourth quarter,” he said. “Boston just played a brilliant quarter, they came in and earned the win.”
Steve Kerr credits the Celtics with a “brilliant” fourth quarter
But veteran big man Draymond Green also saw a positive in Boston’s performance, insinuating that it was a fluke that so many unlikely players stepped up.
“They hit 21 threes,” Green said, via SI.com. “Marcus Smart, Al Horford, and Derrick White combined for 15 of them… Those guys are good shooters, but they combined for 15/23. Is my math right? 8, 7, and 8, that’s 23 right? 15/23 from those guys, so, we’ll be fine.”
But Kerr also added that if the performances from unlikely Celtics players keep up, it could be a very rough series for the Warriors.
“It’s going to be tough to beat Boston if they’re making 21 threes and they’re getting a combined 11 from Horford and White,” he said.
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