The Golden State Warriors are just 2 wins away from winning their 4th NBA title in 8 years. They ushered in a new era of basketball on the shoulders of their shooting. But they were forced into 2 years of no playoffs due to huge injuries to their stars. And 3 years later, Klay Thompson finally had the opportunity to reflect on this, and it’s nothing but happy memories.
The Warriors dynasty was a menace to the other teams in the NBA. They had the best stars on the best team, all in their prime. At one point, they even had 5 all-star caliber players on the roster at a time. Now they have one foot back in the dynasty but need 2 wins to get there. Making the finals right after 2 years of downtime is a great way to say ‘we’re back.’
Klay Thompson feels bad about getting injured before a 3-peat
In the 2016-17 NBA season and the 2017-18 NBA season, the Warriors won back-to-back NBA titles. However, in the 2018-19 season, the Warriors had the opportunity to 3-peat and their biggest rival just bowed out from contention. LeBron James had left the Cavaliers, making the path to the 3-peat a lot easier.
But when they faced the new-look Toronto Raptors, luck was not on their side. Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson picked up some of the most gruesome injuries you can pick up on the court. That, coupled with the lack of depth, cut short the dreams of the Warriors.
“There was a lot of emotions that day. We came real close to having another opportunity to 3-peat, which hasn’t been done since Shaq and Kobe. When I hurt my knee, it was kind of uncharted territory for me because I had been able to be consistently present in the line-up my whole career…But now to be here again, I wouldn’t change anything…Wow, what a time! 3 years ago. Wow. Just goes by fast.”
It has been exactly 3 years since Klay Thompson hurt his knee and the Warriors lost to the Toronto Raptors. And on the 3rd anniversary, they will be getting the opportunity to make redemption by potentially taking a lead in the NBA finals. Talk about a storybook ending.