Warriors star shooting guard Klay Thompson tore his left ACL with 2:22 remaining in the third quarter of Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals.
He went up for a dunk in transition, got fouled at the rim by Toronto Raptors guard Danny Green and wasn't able to land cleanly on the ground.
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"I felt my knee, like, shift -- which I never felt before," Klay explained in his "Above the Waves" documentary. "I was frustrated, but ... I gave that game my heart. That series, that whole season."
Remember, the five-time All-Star tweaked his hamstring in Game 2 vs. the Raptors, and didn't suit up for Game 3 -- which snapped his streak of appearing in 120 straight playoff games.
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He returned for Game 4 and scored 28 points on 6-for-10 shooting from deep. In Game 5, he racked up 26 points (7-for-13 3s), six rebounds and four assists. He hit a 3-pointer with 2:31 remaining to pull the Warriors to within three points, and then hit another with 56.6 seconds left to give the Dubs a 106-103 lead.
He also did stuff like this:
In that fateful Game 6 loss, he scored 28 points on just 12 shots before sustaining the knee injury. And then cemented himself as a legend forever by returning to the court to shoot the free throws:
"I was playing at the highest level I ever played at -- during the last Finals," Klay said in the documentary.
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And the hope now is that Klay can get back to that form (or even better) when he returns to the court for the 2020-21 season.
Golden State Warriors
The three-time NBA champion never has been more motivated.