The Golden State Warriors are having zero problems in the NBA Finals. Smashing the Cleveland Cavaliers by a combined 48 points in Games 1 and 2, they look ready to sweep LeBron James and company for a second consecutive championship. The league conversation feels as though it has already moved past the Warriors and Cavs, and onto where Golden State belongs in the annals.
In this spirit, Klay Thompson is challenging his dad. No driveway one-on-one slouch, Mychal Thompson was a big man with the Los Angeles Lakers of the 1980s, riding behind Magic Johnson on the troupe they called “Showtime.” Klay’s dad won two championships, and despite playing alongside all-time leading NBA scorer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Klay is sure that his team could beat his father’s.
“We were better than the Showtime Lakers,” Thompson said after a Game 2 rout. Unlike Draymond Green, who fielded the initial question, Thompson gets away with this kind of confidence easily. It feels matter-of-fact out of his mouth. Thompson oozes a vibe so chill that, just as with his effortless three-point stroke, he seems too detached from emotion when performing his brag for anyone to take umbrage.
And of course he’s right. The game has evolved well beyond what the Lakers did with it decades ago, and Klay’s Warriors are leading the way. Even big Mychal knows that.
“I admit this,” he said in a recent ESPN Radio interview.
“We would shoot. And we shot 8 threes a game. They make 8 threes a quarter. Golden State would outscore us 50 to 15 on threes. So how are we supposed to win? So I agree with Klay, I think they would beat us. We couldn’t keep up with them offensively because of the way they can score so quickly.”
(ESPN Radio) (h/t r/nba user Jakanzi)
