Written by Sam Amick at USAToday.com
You simply must take a few minutes to watch thoseridiculous Klay Thompson highlights.
Don’t go YouTubing just yet, of course. Be sure to read all these head-spinning stats that shed light on the true absurdity of his 60-point outing, that glorious 21-of-33 shooting night (8-of-14 from three-point range) in which the Golden State Warriors’ “other” Splash Brother cannon-balled the Indiana Pacers in a 142-106 win on Monday night.
But sooner rather than later, all self-respecting NBA fans simply have to see this for themselves. It was that great, that historic, with shots of every shape and kind falling true and the fun factor going through the Oracle Arena roof. And as the Thompson tape plays, be sure to remember the ironic context of Thompson’s memorable night.
For most of his 29 minutes, it was the Pacers’ Monta Ellis chasing him to no avail — the same Monta Ellis whose departure from the Warriors to the Milwaukee Bucks via trade in March 2012 paved the way for Thompson’s ascent. That deal, which brought big man Andrew Bogut the Warriors’ way went down near the end of Thompson’s rookie campaign, likely never would have happened if the then 22-year-old hadn’t already convinced Golden State management by that time that he was worthy of filling Ellis’ big shoes.
According to SportVU tracking data, @KlayThompson had the ball in his hands for a total of 88.4 seconds last night.
To score 60 points.— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) December 6, 2016
And now this. So much for having to sacrifice because Kevin Durant came to town.
Folks on social media were even invoking the name of the late, great Wilt Chamberlain, for goodness sake — and with good reason. In terms of points per minute, Thompson’s shooting showcase was slightly less prolific than “The Big Dipper” on that March 2, 1962 night in which he became the first and only player to hit the century mark (60 points in 29 minutes, or 2.07 points per minute, vs. 100 points in 48 minutes, or 2.08). The fact that Thompson put up these kinds of numbers as a shooter, as opposed to a dominant big man like Chamberlain, makes it all the more improbable.
