Klay Thompson is my favorite Warriors player, not one, or the only one.
Because of his excellent archery skills, but also because of his character and character.
He's one of the best three-pointers of his era, and in all history, and no one can hold him down for three-pointers except the teammate next to him.
But today I don't want to talk about those wonders such as 37 points in a single quarter, at least 60 points on dribble, a maximum of 14 three-pointers in a single game, and eleven three-point saviors in the 16-year Western Conference Finals G6, after all, too many people have said it.
Let's talk about Clay, a pure and kind good man.
He was a kind man.
This time he went to the Mavericks, and the contract was 50 million for 3 years, which was not only lower than the offer given to him by the Warriors last year, but also rejected the Lakers' sincere 4-year 80 million.
One is that the Mavericks are stronger, have a better chance of winning the championship, and Texas has a lower tax rate. But the most important thing is that he can't pass the psychological level, he has been fighting with LeBron for so many years, even if Lao Zhan personally invited him this time, he didn't run away in a bad mood, adding disgust to the warriors, after all, he was too kind.
He was born in Los Angeles and his dad Michelle Thompson was playing for the Lakers at the time of his birth, and he was more qualified than anyone else to go to the Lakers for the reason of "returning to his roots".
However, after all, he didn't want to embarrass his former team and teammates.
He's not Ray Allen.
Those Warriors, Lakers, Rockets, James, Curry, and Harden fans who are scolding on the Internet all day long, please think carefully about it, in that era of passionate "Riders vs. Warriors" and "Fire-Warriors", there were a few people who would spray Klay.
He is strong, he can play against the "East and West Erzhan" on the defensive end, the firepower on the offensive end is online, and his containment on the outside is eternal, even if he has missed 20 times, no coach will be stupid enough to say that he can let Klay go.
He is strong, strong and honest, strong and open, so strong that even his opponents will have enough respect for him.
Just like the thick eyebrows of today's "Lake Warrior War", he is a rare star with "zero bad reviews".
He was a selfless man.
How many still remember when the Warriors won the championship in 15 years, the team's main sign was still the "Splash Brothers", he was the team's equally indispensable headline, the star that the Timberwolves were willing to trade with the team's leader Kevin Love, and the core asset of Jerry West, who would rather resign than let the team trade.
He is also a four-time All-Star, and at one time the league's premier "3D ceiling", but not just 3D.
Curry was injured in the 2016 playoffs when he averaged 31.0 points per game for the Trail Blazers and then single-handedly rode the Savior in the Western Conference finals.
and an average of 25.2 points in the last four games of the Finals, making him the most reliable scorer in the Warriors' collapse.
The 16-year loss brought Durant but also meant that he was no longer the team's top two men, no longer had unlimited shots, and Barnes' departure propelled him to the "No. 1 defensive gate" position.
The arrival of Durant has made him a "high-end blue-collar", he has to play against monsters like James Harden, LeBron, and Leonard, and at his peak he is not only the league's leading three-point player, but also a monster who can change from the first defense to the third or even the fourth position.
From Lillard to Harden, from James to Antetokounmpo, Towns and even Jokic, the perfect combination of footwork and power makes him the most reassuring point for the Warriors on both ends of the floor.
Everything changed from the 2018-19 season, when the hardships of the three-peating championship and the growing conflicts within the team left everyone struggling.
However, rushed to the finals, and with Durant's injury, he had all 20+ in the game against Toronto, but he still couldn't resist the stiff injuries in the lineup structure that made the team lose again and again.
He fought hard in the sixth game, and when he tried to boost morale with a dunk after breaking the ball in the third quarter, injuries found him.
Many people only remember Durant's return to the fire line, but forget that Klay also missed G3 due to a hamstring injury and then had to persist with another injury. Finally fell at the moment of dawn, and he had scored 30 points on 8-of-12 shooting before he left the game.
He was a strong man.
From the time he was injured on June 13, 2019, to his return to action on January 9, 2022, he traveled 941 days.
It's rare for an athlete to have the courage and ability to get back on the field of action when they have suffered a ruptured left and right cruciate ligament and an Achilles tendon in succession.
And what's even more amazing is that they also won the championship that year.
He was still the team's second-leading scorer in the regular season and playoffs that year, and he still shot three-pointers that scared opponents.
He's old, he's hurt, he's slow, and he can't keep up with those lightning little guards, but he still has more than enough ways to help the team.
He didn't cry on the night he won the championship, but he suffered more than anyone else along the way.
He is kind, he is selfless, he is strong, but that doesn't mean he can be manipulated by others
The contract renewal turmoil that began in 2022 seems to many people to be a matter of money, but now the rejection of the Lakers' choice of Dallas proves that
For Clay, who is 35 years old and has earned 260 million in NBA wages alone in his career, what he values is not money, but an attitude.
From the very beginning, it can be seen that the Warriors management has long had reservations about Klay, who would rather give Poole a big contract than not negotiate consecutive contracts.
And last season, I would rather give Dream Chase a 4-year 100 million, but let him "play for a year" The wait-and-see attitude was the last straw.
is also a four-crown meritorious service, one is troublesome but spends his old age in peace, and the other is conscientious but is left out in the cold, no matter how honest a person is, he will resist.
13 years as a warrior,
In 793 regular season games, he averaged 19.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 0.9 steals per game, shooting 41.3% from three-point range and 3.1 per game.
In 158 playoff games, he averaged 19.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 0.9 steals per game, shooting 40.5% from three-point range and 3.2 per game.
4-time champion, 5-time All-Star, 2-time All-Defensive Second Team, 1-time All-Star Three-Point Contest.
He accompanied the warrior through all his glory and brought it to an end. When you are old, you still have to pack your bags and go away. This may be the NBA's version of the "35-year-old dilemma."
An era is over today.