Klay leaves Warriors, Dub Nation with enduring image

Klay leaves Warriors, Dub Nation with enduring image originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Listen to the eruption. Let your ears do the watching.

The elation. It starts with a few claps and one distant scream. It collectively grows to an ear-rattling representation of the cage that was Oracle Arena, responding only how those Warriors fans could to Klay Thompson’s act of what felt like peak heroism.

Minutes before, Thompson had taken a franchise-altering fall to the court after colliding in the air with Toronto Raptors guard Danny Green in the third quarter during Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals. It was later announced Thompson sustained a torn left ACL in what was the first blow to a devastating stretch of leg injuries that stole his prime playing years.

Their fallen soldier had somehow risen to his feet to yet again battle for a mere chance at scratching, clawing and fighting for the grand prize Golden State had become so accustomed to.

How? They didn’t know how. Klay probably still doesn’t know how either.

Probably my favorite sports moment of my lifetime. The most exhilarated I’ve ever felt. Heart of a champion. Heart of a warrior. That big three will never be replicated. All-time great trio. I’ll miss them forever. pic.twitter.com/7APLGwx5iN

— Mike Mekus (@mmekus18) July 1, 2024

Go back to the beginning. Keep listening to more than 19,000 fans screaming in unison, but invite your eyes to the singular moment Thompson should be remembered for most at a time when many can’t help but hang their heads at the fact that it’s over – that Thompson decided to move on by joining the Dallas Mavericks as an unrestricted free agent in a three-team sign-and-trade deal.

The limp is the first thing you see when Thompson emerges from the tunnel. It’s impossible not to see then-Warriors general manager Bob Myers behind Thompson stop to stare at the ground, nervously and anxiously scratching at his forehead. Myers knows what the crowd doesn’t.

For a region that isn’t considered a staple of die-hard sports fans, the pride and joy was deafening. There’s the goofy guy in a tracksuit wearing a red Supreme…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/klay-leaves-warriors-dub-nation-202154495.html

Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2024-07-02 20:46:45

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