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Klay Thompson was in the middle of another performance of "Game 6 Klay".
The Warriors lived an evening of bravery and Thompson dominated the Toronto Raptors at Oracle Arena on June 13th.
In 32 minutes, Thompson had scored the highest point of the game with 30 points and helped the Warriors to avoid elimination.
But what happened next made all Warriors fans shudder.
With the Warriors up three points and trying to take control, Thompson went for an emphatic fastbreak dunk. Instead, Danny Green made a mistake on the Warriors shooting guard, who landed awkwardly and eventually tore the left ACL.
"I felt like the best version I ever had of myself in this NBA Finals," Thompson told Marcus Thomspon of The Athletic. "I am not joking."
The rest is a legend. Thompson, in the tunnel outside the Warriors locker room, took a step back and hit two free throws – on a torn ACL – before leaving the match.
But for Thompson, being hurt at that time is something that he can not overcome.
"I think about it every day," Thompson told The Athletic. "It's just the humiliating part of sport: when you're at your best, something traumatic can happen. But honestly, I felt like I was at the top of my career in the NBA until now. I was at my best. The way I shot the ball, the way I played defense. I felt like one of the best players on the market.
"In previous rounds, or finals, you know, I was able to differ, but in this series, I felt like I was almost as unstoppable as ever."
That night, despite missing the last 14 minutes of play, Thompson still finished with the most points of the fight.
Thompson had the best NBA finals in his career. In five games (remember, he missed Game 3 with a slight sprained hamstring). Thompson averaged 26.0 points. In the last four NBA Finals, his best performance was 19.6 points per game in 2016.
Thompson was at the top of his game, but he will now be forced to miss part of the 2019-2020 season as he rehabs his left ACL.
The good news for Warriors fans is that Thompson told The Athletic that he was more motivated than ever to get back to that level.
[[[[RELATED, RELATED, RELATED: Klay tried to recruit KD to come back]
So, if you're worried that Thompson will not be the same on his return to court, you have nothing to fear.
We are waiting for some additional performances of "Game 6 Klay" in the future.
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