If you have ever seen Klay Thompson start rolling, you know that he is almost impossible to stop. He has established himself as one of the most decorated players in the NBA over the last ten years. With five All-Star selections, two All-NBA selections and three championships under his belt, he is one of the greats of the modern NBA.
Thompson has put together some of the most spectacular individual performances in the NBA. Iconic performances include hitting 14 3-pointers in a single game, to scoring 37 points in a single quarter.
Despite these flamboyant performances, there is one game in particular where he seems to, not just rise to the occasion, but also exceed precedents. You might not have had the privilege to have witnessed it, but you might have at least heard about “Game 6 Klay”
What is ‘Game 6 Klay’?
During the regular season of 2016, GSW won a record 73 games. In the post-season games, they made easy work of Portland Trailblazers, and the Houston Rockets. But when they came up against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the narrative shifted and the Warriors found themselves down 3-1.
In game 5, GSW cut back the deficit in their homecourt, as Steph Curry and Klay Thompson led the line to keep GSW alive in the series.
This set the stage for a Game 6 in Oklahoma City, which would go down as one of the most memorable moments in NBA history. Thompson exploded for 41 points and 11 3-pointers with Golden State’s season on the line, setting a postseason record that has since been broken by Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard.
Thompson saved his greatest performance for last, scoring 19 points in the fourth quarter to help his team come back from an eight-point deficit.
Many of the shots taken by Thompson were very difficult. It was almost as if everything he touched turned to gold.
That was crazy. That was just nuts, bro. That was insane,” former Thunder center Steven Adams said. “Andre Roberson was legit fouling him and he was just cashing out everything, just couldn’t miss. It was just amazing.”
The Warriors went on to take the series in Game 7, and became only the 10th team in playoff history to overturn a 3-1 deficit.
What Thompson says about ‘game 6 Klay’ monopoly?
According to Thompson’s teammate Draymond Green, who has been his teammate for the last ten years, “Game 6 Klay” is as real as it gets
“Game 6 Klay is still Game 6 Klay,” Green explained on his podcast. “Game 6 Klay last time playing in the playoffs before this year was Game 6, and he was cooking the Toronto Raptors. Game 6 Klay showed up again.
“I think one of the beautiful things about Game 6 Klay is that obviously became this narrative, like this thing people say. Klay really believes that now. Like in his head he’s like ‘its Game 6, of course I’m going to do this, are you crazy?’ And like he approaches the game like that and it’s one of the most incredible things to watch.
“It shows you how powerful the mind is, like for those out there that just doesn’t understand how powerful your thoughts are, how powerful your beliefs are, the mind is a very powerful thing. And he believes Game 6 Klay is a real thing and guess what, if Killa Klay believes it then I believe it.”
Well, if he believes it, you should believe in it too.
How about Klay Thompson game 6 playoff performance?
You might be asking, “Does he actually play better in game 6?” The stats would suggest so.
Thompson has played a total of 12 Game 6’s till now. His averages 20.7 points on 44.6 percent shooting from the field and 49.5 percent from 3-point range.
He has a slightly higher scoring average in Game 5s but his 3-point percentage in Game 6’s is unmatched.
| Game No. | Points Per Game | 3PT% | FG% |
| 1 | 18.9 | 37.9 | 42.5 |
| 2 | 19.2 | 39.1 | 44.2 |
| 3 | 18.9 | 37.0 | 42.5 |
| 4 | 17.7 | 41.8 | 43.7 |
| 5 | 22.2 | 46.2 | 49.1 |
| 6 | 20.7 | 49.5 | 44.6 |
| 7 | 17.3 | 39.4 | 41.7 |
