Toronto Raptors big man Serge Ibaka says what Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson did to his Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 6 of the 2016 Western Conference Finals is something he had never seen before.
Thompson scored 41 points and hit 11 3-pointers to help the Warriors win Game 6 in Oklahoma City. Golden State won Game 7 as well and advanced to the NBA Finals. Kevin Durant signed with the Warriors that summer, while Ibaka was traded to the Orlando Magic:
Serge Ibaka: "Since I've been playing in the NBA, 10 years now, in Game 6 [in the 2016 Western Conference Finals], I've never seen that before. You cannot get hot and have it last for six minutes and shoot all over the place. I've never seen something like that."
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) May 28, 2019
Ibaka is hoping Thompson doesn't go off against the Raptors in the 2019 NBA Finals. Game 1 is on Thursday in Toronto. Ibaka's old teammate, Durant, has already been ruled out for Game 1.
Ibaka is playing in his second NBA Finals. The big man is averaging 8.7 points and 6.2 rebounds in the 2019 playoffs while shooting 44.8 percent from the field, 21.9 percent from beyond the arc and 75.9 percent from the free-throw line. For the Raptors to pull of the upset over the Warriors, they are going to need Ibaka, Kyle Lowry, Marc Gasol, Danny Green and Pascal Siakam to play at a high level so Kawhi Leonard has help.
That Game 6 performance from Thompson back in 2016 changed so many things in the NBA. If the Thunder win that game, OKC is playing in the NBA Finals and maybe Durant stays with the Thunder instead of heading to the Warriors.
Follow Us
Subscribe