Klay Thompson has played in some of the most significant games in NBA history during his decade-plus tenure with the Golden State Warriors. He also owns the 37-point single-quarter scoring record, and is the only player ever to drop 60 points in less than 30 minutes of action. But none of the the Warriors' elimination-game classics or title-clinching victories count as the favorite game of Thompson's career, and neither do his most iconic individual performances.

Which of his nearly 800 total NBA games own that distinction? Thompson's return from two-and-a-half seasons lost to injury on January 9th, the culmination of a journey back to the court that many doubted would ever come after he tore his ACL and ruptured his Achilles tendon in back-to-back years. It wasn't just the nationwide interest in his return, raucous reception from an adoring Chase Center crowd or heartwarming recognition from his teammates that makes Golden State's win 96-82 win over the Cleveland Cavalier so enduringly special to Thompson, though.

“It's arguably, for me, like my favorite game of my career, cause I didn't know what to expect. Definitely didn't think I was gonna catch two bodies, I'll tell you that!” Thompson told former Warriors Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson on All The Smoke. “I was in Santa Cruz a month earlier and it was tough to get to the cup, like, ‘Gah man, I don't remember it being this hard!' And then it was just tough to dunk, get that momentum. But once you get in front of the crowd like that, the energy, that was an out of body experience. I couldn't believe I did that. You just feel the crowd, feels the ooohs and aaahs every time you touch the ball. And that was such a built-up day. It was two years. I had all my teammates rocking with the No. 11. The whole day [was] after me, so I was like, ‘Ah, I gotta live up to the hype.'”

Thompson, remember, scored 17 points on 7-of-18 shooting in 20 minutes against Cleveland, essentially letting fly at every available opportunity. He joked about that ultra-aggression with Jackson and Barnes, built-up adrenaline fueling his thirst for buckets.

Still, that instant-classic poster dunk will always be what's most memorable for him.

Thompson led the Warriors in minutes during their championship run, playing some of his best basketball since returning as they took control of the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics. Still, lingering fallout from the severity of his injuries persists.

Thompson only began scrimmaging with his teammates a week before the regular season tipped off, being held out of exhibition play until Golden State's preseason finale. He enters Friday's tilt with the Denver Nuggets still ramping up toward his normal minutes load as a result, unlikely to play much more than the 19 minutes he notched in the Warriors' blowout win over the Los Angeles Lakers on ring night.

Every moment of NBA life means more to Thompson now than it did pre-injury. As he gets closer to leaving major minutes and game restrictions behind, rest assured he's not taking any part of Golden State's quest for back-to-back titles for granted.

[All The Smoke]