Tuesday night was Klay Thompson’s 651st regular game as the Golden State Warrior. When you add 145 playoffs, Thompson has been a part of 796 games in his career and he has never been dropped from a game – until Tuesday night in Phoenix.
The sun defeats the warriors 134-105but the big point of this game comes in the third quarter when the guardian of Phoenix Devin Booker had a heated verbal conflict with Thompson. They’ve been split up and made technical fouls before Thompson ended up arguing with an official and was taken to the changing room.
Thompson’s disqualification is alarming as it’s not only his first, but it’s also not what you’d expect from one of the even more passionate players in the NBA. Obviously, this is the behavior we expect Draymond GreenGolden State emotion leader. Aside from Green, most of this Warriors team has been considered “chorus boys” over the years. Thompson and sensational brother Steph Curry can sometimes show a slight edge, but not to the extent that Klay did in Phoenix.
Looking past Thompson’s elimination, this episode highlights the Pacific Division’s hottest rivalry, and one of the stiffer ones in the Association. Fans in the Bay Area and Phoenix take this rivalry even more seriously as the Suns have come back to the fore over the past two seasons.
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Two years ago, when the Suns got to the NBA Finals, and the Warriors were sidelined after being eliminated in the Play-in Tournament, Phoenix area fans were overjoyed for having once won the upper hand over the opponents. Warriors fan. Then Golden State resurfaced last season, teams had a couple of early 2021-22 games and everyone (including me) thought these teams were the keys to playing in the Western finals. Conference. Phoenix couldn’t close that bargain, losing to Dallas in seven games, while The Dubs went straight to the NBA Finals, beating Boston in six games.
It doesn’t matter which round. We need this series in post-season.
Preferably WCF, but semi-finals also work. AND, if it’s a first round confrontation, we’ll accept that too. These teams need to play seven games with the season going. The Suns combine well with the Warriors, and the Chris Paul element is still working. Even if he’s not quite the same player, his leadership – with young players mentally ready – makes him an important part of the success equation. the work of the Suns.
One of the more overlooked matches to watch in this showdown was James Wiseman vs. Deandre Ayton. Most notably, whenever Phoenix fouls and Ayton gets the ball, Wiseman defends him. When Kevon Looney left this game, and Wiseman tested Ayton, he didn’t have a good result.
Of course, the Curry-Paul game is always a factor when these two teams meet, and of course Thompson-Booker. But much of this potential playoff series will go to the younger guys on both lists. We’re talking about Jordan Poole, Moses Moody, and Jonathan Kuminga for the Warriors. And for the Suns, players like Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson, who are now full-time starters for Phoenix. We know what more seasoned players will bring, but this series of playoffs between these teams will be significantly influenced by the play of these young players, who are starting to take in the extra minutes. hours.
If we can get this same level of pain (or greater) in seven games, this could be one of the best non-NBA Finals series ever. Phoenix and the Bay Area will be lit up if this turns out to be the case, and we’ll get some pretty decent basketballs on top of all the extra heckling around this rivalry.
