Klay Thompson's poor Game 1 shooting night was saved by his defensive impact

While Klay Thompson‘s postseason shooting struggles continued during the Golden State Warriors‘ 113-91 Game 1 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, his impact on the team went beyond the 13 missed shots he had throughout Thursday night.

As one of the league's best two-way players, Thompson made up for his offensive woes with his unconditional defense, drawing assignments on Cleveland's three-headed monster.

The 6-foot-7 shooting guard was a fix on Kyrie Irving throughout the night, but also was forced to guard Kevin Love on the perimeter and even LeBron James during the first part of the second quarter and the fourth quarter.

His length and ability to retreat efficiently without fouling played a major role in James' game-worst eight turnovers through his 40 minutes in the game, as the Cavaliers looked hellbent on running him through the ground in order to pull off a result.

While James had 15 points in the first period, including eight trips to the free-throw line, the Warriors managed to limit the King to 13 points for the rest of the game — forcing numerous turnovers in his effort to get others involved and during failed attempts to get shots in close.

Defending the postseason monster that James has been is a job by committee — Thompson's ability to guard spots one-through-four efficiently was huge for the team through his 36 minutes of playing time.

The Washington State standout also was tasked with covering Love on the wing and corner spots, helping the Golden State defense hold him to a 4-of-13 performance from the floor.

Despite going only 3-of-16 from the field, Klay Thompson's ability to stay true to his defense regardless of his lack of offensive prowess has proved huge for the team in this playoff run.

Having tied a postseason-low six-point performance (for the third time) likely only means he is one game closer to having a much-awaited offensive explosion, just like he did during last year's 41-point performance in a clutch Game 6 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, drilling an NBA-playoff-record 11 three-pointers in a 108-101 victory.