USA Today via Reuters
Jan 9, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) gets a congratulatory handshake from teammate Stephen Curry (30) after making a basket against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the first quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports
USA Today via Reuters
Jan 9, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) gets a congratulatory handshake from teammate Stephen Curry (30) after making a basket against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the first quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports
The Golden State Warriors have been one of the most successful NBA franchises in recent history. Moreover, they were able to form a long-standing core from just draft picks. The trio of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green have brought much-needed success to the franchise. They won a championship in 2015, and when Kevin Durant teamed up with them, the Warriors would win two more titles in 2017 and 2018.
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However, this super-team was unable to complete a three-peat as they fell to the hands of a talented Toronto Raptors squad led by Kawhi Leonard. Despite Kevin Durant suffering from an injury in Game 5, the Warriors were still able to win that match and trail 3-2 in the best of seven series. However, Klay Thompson suffered an injury in Game 6 and the Raptors closed out the game to win the title. In light of this, 2022 Raptors’ All-Star, Fred VanVleet, explained why the Raptors could still be champions even if Klay remained healthy.
The Raptors Would Have Still Defeated the Golden State Warriors
Klay Thompson has always had a record of coming alive in tough situations. His accurate shooting and defense are the reasons why he always remains a threat in any game, especially when it is Game 6 of a playoff series. Take a look at his Game 6 performance against an OKC Thunder team that had KD in their roster at the time.
READ MORE: Klay Thompson Left In Utter Disbelief That Warriors Rookie Did Not Make the NBA Rising Stars Game
So it was the same story in the 2019 finals as well. Thompson came alive in Game 6 for the Warriors but would suffer an injury during the game. This led to several people having the opinion that the Warriors could’ve won the title had Klay not been injured. Due to this, 2022 Raptor’s All-Star recenlty explained why his team would have still won the 2019 title even if Klay remained injury free.
“I felt like we were a much better team than y’all without Kevin”@FredVanVleet tells @Money23Green that the Raptors were going to win the 2019 Finals 😳 pic.twitter.com/ZKIrRjSKgF
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) February 17, 2022
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“I don’t agree with that, but at the same time, I could see that argument. Him (Klay Thompson) in those Game 6s, he got a super catalog of those crazy games where it’s hard to beat him,” said VanVleet.
“I felt like we were a much better team than y’all without Kevin because we had the depth and there was certain matchups that we could pick on,” he explained.
Furthermore, VanVleet explained that the Warriors had put new faces on the floor against the Raptors, which was an unusual move on their part. So this allowed the Raptors to take advantage of them and win the series and the title.
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Do you agree with Fred’s take? Let us know in the comments below.
