Beating the Houston Rockets without Stephen Curry was one thing. While James Harden and Dwight Howard refused to coalesce and the entire team displayed a stunning lack of chemistry, the Golden State Warriors had no trouble slaughtering their overmatched opponent and advancing out of the first round.
The Portland Trail Blazers were supposed to be a bigger challenge. Instead, they found themselves facing a massive first-quarter deficit and eventually wound up on the wrong end of a 118-106 final margin.
From the opening tip, Klay Thompson took over and proved he could be a potent alpha dog in Curry's absence.
In the first 12 minutes alone, the shooting guard exploded for 18 points, two rebounds and an assist on 7-of-10 shooting from the field and a 4-of-7 performance from beyond the arc. He alone managed to outscore Rip City, which could only muster up 17 points during the first quarter.
We've known for a while that Thompson could catch fire. Arguably even more so than Curry, he possesses that tantalizing microwave gene, and he can rise and fire over virtually any defender when he begins heating up.
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Adam Fromal
Sunday NBA Playoffs: Klay Thompson Showing Alpha-Dog Swagger Without Steph Curry
May 1st, 2016 by Adam Fromal Leave a reply »
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