Did the officials miss a turnover by Klay Thompson in the final seconds of Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals on Wednesday night between the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets?
Golden State was up 102-99 with 18.6 seconds left and taking the ball out under their basket. Thompson got the ball, dribbled up the court, and ended up trapped by two Rockets after a pass. He jumped up to pass the ball and landed out of bounds. The question is whether he let go of the ball before he landed out of bounds.
This screenshot seems to show that a turnover should have been called:
Had a call been made, the Rockets would have gotten the ball back down three with around 10 seconds left and a decent chance at tying the game.
It’s easy to see why they might be upset over the blown call, especially when you factor in that the Rockets were victims of an even worse blown call against Golden State in January.
Golden State pulled out a 104-99 win and now leads the series 3-2. Game 6 will be in Houston on Friday, with all questions being about Kevin Durant’s health.
The Golden State Warriors’ future remains uncertain due to the fact that two key players are eyeing free agency this summer, but there appears to be some confidence that at least one of them will stay.
Guard Klay Thompson is set to hit the open market this summer. Warriors coach Steve Kerr believes that everyone in the organization wants him to stay — and, more importantly, that the feeling is mutual.
“I know that everybody — coaches, management, ownership — everybody wants Klay back,” Kerr said, via Nick Friedell of ESPN. “I think the feeling is just, Klay wants to be here, we want Klay.”
The speculation will not be dying out anytime soon, and there are some reports that Thompson wants a larger role in the Golden State offense. That would likely come if he stays and Kevin Durant leaves, but there’s no guarantee of that, either. It will be one of the most intriguing subplots of the summer, but it’s logical that the ideal scenario for everyone is that they ultimately stay together.
The Golden State Warriors are hoping all of the rumors about Kevin Durant having one foot out the door turn out to be untrue, but they may need to shift some of their attention to another one of their star players if they want to avoid their roster being completely gutted this summer.
Klay Thompson is also set to become a free agent after the season, and speculation is growing that the 29-year-old wants nothing less than a max contract. According to a report from ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, Thompson is not currently feeling the love from the Warriors.
“I’m told Klay Thompson isn’t happy. His number hasn’t been called nearly enough,” Smith said. “He’s tired of sitting around and getting, and this is a quote, ‘the crumbs left behind by other people.'”
Smith added that top executives around the NBA like Pat Riley and Jerry West have spoken with Golden State’s brass and urged them that their priority needs to be keeping Thompson and Stephen Curry together — especially if it appears likely that Durant is going to sign elsewhere.
Should Durant leave, that would obviously open up a max contract slot for the Warriors. The question then becomes whether they would want to use that for Thompson — whom they can re-sign anyway because of Bird rights — or pursue another star free agent. If Golden State is willing to offer Thompson a max contract regardless of how the Durant situation plays out, he probably isn’t going anywhere.
There have been rumblings that Thompson could have his eye on a specific team if the Warriors don’t show him they value him enough. That said, he averaged 21.5 points per game during the regular season and is averaging 16.5 in the playoffs. It’s not as if he is being ignored, but perhaps he wants to go somewhere where he isn’t the third or fourth option on offense.
The biggest question for the Golden State Warriors heading into the offseason is obviously the impending free agency of Kevin Durant, but they also need to write a big check to Klay Thompson if they want him to stick around. And if the amount of that check is anything less than the maximum allowed under the NBA’s salary cap, the sharpshooter may decide he is better off elsewhere.
During Monday’s edition of ESPN’s “Get Up,” Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Thompson will re-sign with the Warriors this summer without hesitation if they offer him a max contract. If not, the Los Angeles Clippers will be a team to keep an eye on.
“If they come with a five-year, $190 million max deal for Klay Thompson, that’s done on July 1—he’s going into the new building with Steph Curry,” Wojnarowski said, per Tyler Conway of Bleacher Report. “If they try to do anything less than that, you can expect Klay Thompson to be out in free agency. Watch not for the Lakers then, but the Clippers.”
Thompson would almost certainly get a max contract on the free agent market, but the Warriors can already offer him more than any other team. There has been some thought that Thompson may be open to taking a hometown discount in order to help keep Golden State’s championship core intact, but that may only be the case if Durant is re-signing as well.
If Durant decides to leave the Warriors, Thompson could argue that there is no incentive for him to take less money on his next deal. In all likelihood, the Warriors would have no problem giving him a max if that were the case.
Judging by what Thompson’s father said last year, it still seems like there’s a good chance Klay sticks around for the long haul in Golden State.
The Golden State Warriors are banged up heading into their second-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets on Sunday, but it sounds like Klay Thompson has at least a chance to play.
Thompson suffered an ankle injury in the third quarter of Golden State’s series-clinching win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night, and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that an MRI he underwent on Saturday came back clean.
Wojnarowski added that there is “optimism” Thompson will play but he could be limited.
While it’s good news that there is no structural damage, Thompson could still be in a significant amount of pain. A report from over the weekend said the injury is “pretty bad” and Thompson’s status for Sunday will depend upon how he responds to treatment.
While Thompson has shown toughness by playing through injuries during the postseason before, the Warriors need to be smart. They are hoping they have a lot more basketball left to play, and ankle injuries can have a tendency to linger.
Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson has a very real issue with his sprained right ankle.
According to Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic, sources say Thompson’s ankle is “pretty bad” after it was sprained in the third quarter of Golden State’s decisive win over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Thompson’s status for Game 1 of the Warriors’ series against the Houston Rockets is unclear. The team will see how his ankle responds to treatment before Sunday’s game before making a decision on his status, but it is said that Thompson’s ankle looked bad enough in the locker room after Friday’s game that it was a topic of discussion.
Thompson has already said he intends to play in Game 1 against Houston, and he has played through significant-looking injuries before. Ultimately, the decision may be out of his hands and down to the training staff.
Klay Thompson is already looking ahead to the Houston Rockets.
Thompson had a monster game in the Golden State Warriors’ 113-105 victory over the LA Clippers in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series on Sunday to give the team a 3-1 series lead. He went 12/20 from the field including 6/9 on threes for 32 points, which was second to Kevin Durant, who had 33.
Thompson was interviewed by ABC’s Lisa Salters after the game and indicated he was already thinking about whom they will face in the next round of the postseason.
Maybe now is a good time to remind Klay about how the 2016 NBA Finals went when they were up 3-1? Not to say that the Clippers are the Cavaliers, but overlooking the team in front of you is never a good idea.
If Golden State does advance as expected, they would likely face Houston. The Rockets lead their series with the Utah Jazz 3-0 and will have a chance to complete the sweep in Game 4 on Monday.
Winning is a total team effort as far as Klay Thompson is concerned, and he even includes the fans in that group.
Thompson’s Golden State Warriors lost at home to the Phoenix Suns 115-111 on Sunday night in a stunning defeat. The win for Phoenix snapped an 18-game losing streak against the Warriors. Thompson and Steph Curry both went 4/15 on threes, with Thompson scoring 28 to lead the team.
After the loss, Thompson said the fans need to do better. He said he wants them to get up for games even when they’re not facing the best opponents.
While some will take Thompson’s words as a challenge and as reinforcement of how valuable a role the fans play, others may take offense and feel like he’s deflecting blame. His comments are probably more of the former than the latter and will be sure to cause a reaction in the Bay Area.
The Golden State Warriors caught a bit of a break when they got good news on Klay Thompson’s knee.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, an MRI on Thompson’s troublesome right knee came back clean on Monday.
Thompson has been dealing with knee soreness and was subsequently held out of Saturday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers. There’s no real urgency to get him back in the lineup, as the Warriors are safely headed for the playoffs and there’s no reason to push him too far this soon. It sounds like Thompson isn’t facing an extended absence, and it’s probably fair to treat him as day-to-day at this point, though Golden State is certain to proceed with caution with the playoffs so close.
Klay Thompson suffered a nasty finger injury during the Golden State Warriors’ game against the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night.
Thompson jammed his left hand on a push-off and ended up with his left ring finger being dislocated around the knuckle.
Thompson exited the game midway through the first quarter. He was examined by a trainer and later returned in the second quarter, with the team saying he had suffered a sprain.
The Warriors sharpshooter was nonchalant about the injury, acting like it was nothing.
DeMarcus Cousins and Shaun Livingston are set to miss the team’s game on Wednesday at Portland, so it’s entirely possible that Thompson joins them to rest and heal.
