The Western Conference Semi-Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors have lived up to the hype so far. While all the focus before the series was on LeBron James and Stephen Curry, other stars have stepped up in the first two games. From Anthony Davis in Game 1 to Klay Thompson in Game 2, the stars have delivered. Although Thompson was visibly frustrated after the Game 1 loss, he produced a magnificent display against his boyhood team in Game 2. Draymond Green recently opened up about the importance of the matchup for Big Smokey.

While Thompson has been a Warrior for his entire NBA career, he grew up a huge Lakers fan, primarily due to his father’s affiliation with the franchise. From going to Lakers games to donning the jerseys of Laker icons, Klay truly loved the franchise. However, the four-time NBA champion has only one goal in his mind in this series.

Klay Thompson wants to dominate the Lakers

Despite good individual performances in Game 1 by Klay Thompson and Steph Curry, the Warriors lost to the Lakers. Thompson was pissed off due to this close loss. On the latest episode of the Draymond Green podcast, Green revealed that Thompson was very pissed off after the Game 1 loss. However, he didn’t have any doubt that Klay would bounce back in Game 2. Green also shed light on Thompson’s Lakers connection.

Draymond said, “Klay is from southern California. Grew up a Lakers fan. (His) dad played for the Lakers. Works for the Lakers on TV now…won one or a couple of championships with the Lakers.” Klay is the son of former Lakers center, Mychal Thompson, who was selected as the first overall pick in the 1978 NBA draft.

Green continued, “This really means a lot to Klay. Obviously, it means a lot to us…and there are just certain things that may make a game or a series mean a little more and I think this is one of those for Klay.” However, he mentioned that this can sometimes lead to the building of a lot of emotions which may hamper the performance. But Green was glad to see Thompson in a very calm state before the game and that certainly helped the Warriors.

Golden State Warriors level up the series at home

With a hot shooting performance from Klay Thompson and a double-double from Steph Curry, the Warriors blew out the Lakers in Game 2 to level the series. The Lakers were prepared to contain Steph Curry by double-teaming him but had no answer for the Big Smokey. Thompson scored 30 points on the back of 8 made three-pointers.

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Draymond Green also showed up controlling the board with 11 rebounds and dishing out 9 assists in addition to his 11 points. LeBron James led the Lakers in points scoring 23 points, complimented by Rui Hachimura’s 21 points. However, Anthony Davis had a low-scoring night benefiting the Warriors in a blowout game.

Fans are getting what they have anticipated from the series. Klay Thompson with his dynamic scoring in the first two games has announced that he’s a key factor for a Golden State win. As the series is even now, Game 3 will be crucial for both teams. Who do you think will take Game 3 at the Crypto.com Arena? Let us know in the comments below.

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