Klay Thompson was unreal in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals. The four-time All-Star drained nine out of his 14 attempts from deep en route to leading the Golden State Warriors with 35 points in 39 minutes of playing time.
His heroics played a crucial part in the Warriors' astounding comeback against the Houston Rockets who had taken a 17-point lead after the first 12 minutes of action. When asked about how his mindset affected his performance, Thompson could not help but reflect on how his past failures have shaped him to be the man he is today.
Here's the tweet from Ben Golliver of Sports Illustrated:
Klay Thompson: "I was not always like this. I used to be so hard on myself earlier in my career. I remember losing one game to the Nuggets and leaving the arena in my uniform. I've learned that if I play with passion and play as hard as I can, you can live with the result."
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) May 27, 2018
When Kevin Durant joined the Warriors last season, many thought that Thompson would take the biggest hit. With so much firepower on the team, the 6-foot-7 shooting guard was considered by some to be surplus to requirements. Rumors even emerged that the Dubs were considering shipping him out. Thompson did not let any of this nonsense affect him and he just kept on playing hard. In fact, he even upped his scoring average from 22.1 the previous year to 22.3 points per ballgame in the 2016-17 season.
Thompson is living proof that basketball is much more than just outstanding talent. The mental aspect of the game plays a huge role in determining a player's potential for success. The 28-year-old Los Angeles native has put in a lot of work in developing the mental part of his game and the results are apparent.
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