https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/annkillion/article/Game-6-Klay-Thompson-s-legend-grows-as-he-17172705.php

You might have wondered if you’d ever see such a sight again.

But there he was, 35 months after going down with the first of two devastating injuries. Three years, layers of scar tissue and plenty of heartbreak couldn’t erase the inner Game 6-ness of Thompson.

“You guys have been around here awhile - you know how Klay is with Game 6,” said acting coach Mike Brown. “He was fantastic.”

It was a thing of beauty. Thompson scored 30 points on 11-of-22 shooting. He hit eight of 14 three-pointers, including a dagger at just under three minutes to play that gave the Golden State Warriors a 105-92 lead and caused a near earthquake on Third Street.

“Well, 30 points sounds way better than 27,” Thompson said of his final bucket. “On top of that I had a lot of pent-up energy these last couple of years.

“To be in this situation and to seal the game there, it all came out.”

His teammates were not surprised to see his production.

“He lives up to his reputation,” Kevon Looney said. “Whenever we need him in big games, he shows up. We were all excited to see Game 6 Klay show up.”

“It’s what he's been looking forward to since he got hurt back in the 2019 Finals,” Stephen Curry reflected. “It’s a different joy. A different energy. It’s just fun to watch.”

Game 6 Klay delivers. He delivers wins. He delivers the Warriors into the next round. On Friday night he placed the Warriors into the Western Conference finals. A spot they were comfortable in for five straight years but have badly missed.

“I used to take it for granted,” Draymond Green said. “I thought, that’s the way it’s supposed to be. The reality is I still think that, but I have a much deeper appreciation. ... It feels really good to be back.”

No one has learned more painfully how not to take things for granted than Thompson, who thought he was back from the ACL injury only to be felled for more than another year by an Achilles injury. The night before Game 6, Thompson didn’t go to sleep thinking about what he might score.

“I was just thinking about how far I’ve come and how grateful I am,” he said. “It’s special. It is something that I will toast tonight, being back in the Western Conference finals. But then quickly forget about it and scout Game 7 (between Phoenix and Dallas).”

The Warriors played with a desperation that was missing in their lackluster Game 5 performance. They treated Friday’s outing almost like a Game 7 — because they absolutely did not want to go back to Memphis.

“I did not want to get back on a plane,” Green said. “An underrated thing in this series was that it’s a four-and-a-half-hour flight which is brutal. I didn’t want to get on that flight..”

To ensure that, the Warriors brought out a greatest hits type of performance. Green running the show and choosing to score. Curry, who had struggled to get his shot to fall, dropping 11 late-game points.

And, of course, Thompson, lighting it up in Game 6.

It brought back memories of other “Game 6 Klay” performances. Like the 41 points he scored against Oklahoma City in the 2016 Western Conference finals in 2016. The 35 points against Houston in 2018. Even the 30 points he dropped against Toronto in the same game when he went down with a torn ACL.

Thompson is now averaging 28.1 points in Game 6 in his career. He has scored a total of 197 points in the seven Game 6’s. He’s averaging more than six three pointers in those Game 6’s.

“It means everything,” Green said of seeing Thompson back in his Game 6 element. “He is one of the toughest and most competitive guys I’ve ever played with. You knew right away he was coming out on fire. It was a beautiful game.”

And, as his teammates pointed out, it wasn’t just offense. Thompson was assigned to guard Desmond Bane and, though Bane had 25 points, he had to work for them. Thompson had eight rebounds and three blocked shots.

“One of the things we stressed was for our guards to get boards,” said Brown, whose record as an “acting head coach” is now 13-1.

After the game, Brown wanted to hug Klay and tell him, “I love you,” or “great job.”

“The only thing he said was ‘Mike Brown, I’m going to miss you next year when you’re in Sacramento. I’m going to miss you yelling at me to get back on transition defense.’ That’s just Klay.’”

Thompson has been through enough to know that he’ll miss everything when it’s over. Brown yelling him to get back on defense. The feeling of nailing a huge three-pointer in a playoff game that makes the building rock.

The exhilaration of getting back in the Western Conference finals.

The thrill of a Game 6.

“I love the moments,” Thompson said. “I love the pressure. I love playing basketball at the highest level. We can’t do this ’til our elder years.

“So, you just have to appreciate every single night because it goes really fast.”