“Klay Thompson is more trustworthy in the NBA Finals” Skip Bayless disses Stephen Curry by applauding his splash brother after Game 1
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Skip Bayless on Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry strugling in 4th quarter
Sports media personality Skip Bayless was relentless once again as he decided to diss Stephen Curry for taking more shots in the 4th quarter and not involving his teammate Klay enough. The 70-year-old considers Klay Thompson is more dependable than Steph in the NBA Finals.
Golden State Warriors couldn’t prevent their 12-point lead in the 4th Quarter and uncharacteristically lose the opening game of the 2022 NBA finals. Credit goes to the Boston Celtics’ defense, which put up pressure on the Warriors’ shooters forcing them to a tougher shot. But it was part of the Warriors’ offensive plays also which were not smooth enough to help their marquee players in open spaces. Skip Bayless putting his trust in Klay Thompson was amazed by the fact that the sharpshooter had very few attempts in the final 12 minutes of the game, while others were continuously struggling to score. He went further and targeted Golden State megastar and primary ball-handler Stephen Curry, claiming that Klay is more trustworthy than Steph in the finals.
Boston Celtics gave Golden State Warriors a taste of their own medicine, draining 9 long-range shots in the 4th quarter alone, with 75% efficiency, while Splash Brothers managed just 1. Ironically they combined for 27 points from threes in the previous three quarters.
Should Klay Thompson had been involved more?
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson changed the complexion of the game with their elite and long-range shooting. The “Splash Brothers” famously known for their pin-point shooting started hot in the opening quarter of the Finals games. Western Conference Finals MVP Stephen went on to score 21 points in the 1st quarter, nearly outscoring the Celtics’ starting 5. Klay also had 5 points, while both had 75% efficiency from the field.
Fans were pleased with the display and felt comfortable about the outcome of the game. The Warriors continued their surge and had a healthy 12-point lead entering the 4th quarter. Steve Kerr confident about his team lined up his second unit for the 4th quarter with Klay and Draymond as the only starters on the court.
But after just 3 minutes in the quarter, the Warriors were forced to bring in their main players, as the Celtics had a 9-0 run, cutting the deficit to just 3 points. But things didn’t change after that also as the Celtics began to make shots from every player available on the court and even tied the game with 5 minutes left on the clock.
The Warriors in the opening 7 minutes of the fourth quarter could add 11 points, where Klay had only 2 shot attempts, and Steph was 2 of 4 (playing in for 4 minutes). Sadly for the Warriors, this misery continued for the remaining period of the game and they found themselves at the wrong end of the results.
Klay, who played the complete 4th quarter for the Warriors, was the top scorer for the last 12 minutes with just 5 points. He only had 3 attempts in that period, out of which he scored on 2. Curry, though was going closer to the rim, converted 33% of the shots, and had 6 tries in the last 8 minutes played.
Skip had an issue with this 4th quarter stats. He said, “Klay Thompson is more trustable in the NBA Finals than Steph Curry is. What disappointed me in the 4th is that Klay barely touched the basketball, he needed more plays called for him.” – highlighting the number of attempts Curry and Klay had for time spent on the floor.
To be fair to the Warriors’ offense, it was determined Celtics defense all together which put Curry and co in a difficult position for the whole 4th quarter. The Warriors, before the 4th quarter, had an average of 24 attempts per quarter in the game and could manage just 17 in decisive 12 minutes. The Celtics, showed consistency in playmaking, attempting an average of 21 shots per quarter – throughout the game.
Whether involving Klay more in the 4th quarter would have helped the Warriors to turn the game in their favor might be a debatable point, but this micro-management is needed for Golden State Warriors, to make comeback in the series.
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Kunal Chawda
(600 Articles Published)