Reflecting on Klay Thompson as a Warrior: 37 points in a quarter
Greatest scoring quarter in NBA history.
As tensions reach a fever pitch in Dub Nation about the potential departure of beloved franchise cornerstone Klay Thompson in free agency, there’s a lot to remember about his greatness as a Golden State Warrior.
Today I want to take the time to go through some of my favorite Killa Klay moments, with commentary from sports outlets surrounding the historic exploits of one of the greatest players in NBA history.
In this article, let’s reflect on Klay setting the all-time record for scoring the most points in a single quarter in January 2015 with 37.
Bonus points for doing it against the division rival Sacramento Kings?
Golden State of Mind
As a person who loves nothing in basketball more than a perfect jump shot, Klay Thompson heating up is the single greatest thing I’ve ever witnessed on a basketball court.
Which means that Thompson’s 37-point third quarter against the Sacramento Kings during the 2014-15 season — the start of the Dubs dynasty — is my all-time most enjoyable moment in basketball history.
I watch this video a lot, and I’m always enthralled by a few things.
At the 7:30 mark in the quarter, Klay has a mere five points. He’s already 4:30 into the quarter and he’s still got 32 points to go.
After 13 points Bob Fitzgerald exclaims, “Oh, he’s feeling it. He’s absolutely feeling it.” He still had 24 points to go! Fitzgerald then proclaims that Klay wants a heat check. With, again, 24 more points to go!
With just over 3 minutes remaining, Thompson still has just 19 points. It’s been a great quarter, but there’s no indication it’s something special until he ends in a flurry.
I still have no idea how he finished that alley-oop. He seemingly went through the rim instead of over it.
Andre Iguodala filming the final free throws from the bench is amazing.
It’s just a perfect basketball moment.
ESPN
Thompson set a league record for the most points in a quarter Friday night, a thrilling 37-point third period that powered the Golden State Warriors to a 126-101 victory over the Sacramento Kings.
“I was one of the luckiest NBA players ever to play with Michael Jordan, Tim Duncan, David Robinson and some of the greatest players ever,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “As many spectacular things as Michael did, which he did nightly, I never saw him do that.”
Thompson finished with a career-high 52 points, pleasing 19,596 fans at rowdy Oracle Arena with a performance that will long be remembered in the basketball-loving Bay Area. The All-Star hopeful made all 13 shots, including a league-record nine from 3-point range in a quarter, and hit both of his free throws during a 12-minute span of pure basketball bliss.
“It was kind of a blur. I wish I could go back and enjoy it some more, but moments like that go by really fast,” Thompson said.
Thompson surpassed the 33-point mark set by George Gervin in 1978 and matched by Carmelo Anthony in 2008 for the most points in a quarter. Michael Redd and Joe Johnson shared the previous mark for most 3s in a quarter with eight.
ESPN
The “Splash Brothers” nickname indicates no vast separation of status between Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. In the past, it seemed as though the moniker elevated Thompson beyond where he was, putting him in the same category as the franchise’s star. No longer. Not after these past few months, not after Friday night. The Warriors have multiple franchise players now. Klay’s a co-star, not just a supporting actor.
That’s the context for a stretch that made you forget context exists. Every now and again there are moments when even the most experienced observers gawk in glee, forgetting everything but what they’re seeing. Tonight was that.
The crowd didn’t quite know what to do with itself after a while. There were murmurs between cheers. More than a few fans pulled their phones out to chronicle the end of the third. After the game, Curry watched the sequence on his phone, surrounded by reporters. “You’re interrupting a great show,” he said with a smile.
His teammates were at a loss for words. “Y’all making me look like I don’t know how to talk to the media at all right now. I honestly don’t know what to tell y’all,” Draymond Green said between laughs. Always the gifted gabber, Green found a way to convey the surreality of Klay’s night. When asked if you could do what Thompson pulled off in the “NBA 2K” video-game series, Green said, “Nah. You don’t get that hot in ‘2K.’ Them video games [are] real now! That wasn’t real!”