Klay Thompson Reveals the Real Inspiration for His 41-Point Performance in WCF Game 6

It wasn't just because of the Yoda socks.

Klay Thompson
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Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors in action against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on February 26, 2018 in New York City.

Klay Thompson

Game 6 of the 2016 Western Conference Finals will go down as one of the greatest moments in Golden State Warriors history. As most of you know, the team faced heavy pressure after losing to OKC in the previous two games by an average of 26 points.

Though the odds were stacked against the Warriors, they were able to secure a 108-101 win to force a Game 7, thanks in large part to Klay Thompson’s record-breaking performance. The starting shooting guard was on fire throughout the night, finishing with a total of 41 points as well becoming the first player in NBA history to sink 11 three-pointers in a playoff game.

Thompson later credited his stellar performance to a pair of Yoda socks he wore during Game 6, claiming they supplied him “Jedi powers.” Though that’s a completely logical explanation, the 28-year-old athlete recently revealed he had gone into the game with another source of motivation.

Just days before the Warriors’ matchup against OKC, Thompson received word that his high school friend Philippe Zarif had experienced a loss: his 13-year-old boxer named Tyson died unexpectedly. According to a recent interview with SLAM, Thompson texted Zariff on the morning of May 28, 2016, just hours before his historic game, writing: “This one’s for Tyson.”

“Phil treated that dog like a son,” said Thomspon, who owns an English bulldog named Rocco. “I know loved ones come in different capacities, whether it’s human or animal, so he was really in my thoughts.”

Zariff was moved by the gesture.

“That Klay even reached out to me about it was epic,” he told SLAM. “It was the biggest game of the year, and he still was thinking about my loss. That’s Klay.”

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