Warriors: Top five regular season Moments under Steve Kerr
By Calvin Fong
#2: Klay Breaks Records
Klay Thompson can have some superhuman shooting nights. Two of those nights are tied for the #2 spot on this list.
37 Points in a Quarter
Klay’s 37 points in a quarter in the ’14-15 season was truly unbelievable, breaking the record for most points scored in a single quarter of play. Thompson was a perfect 13-13 from the field during the 3rd quarter. He didn’t miss a single shot, which included nine 3’s.
It didn’t take long for the diehard fans inside Oracle to appreciate what was happening. With each shot, the crowd grew louder and louder, and the Sacramento Kings had no answer for any of it.
This all came in a game where Kerr was so frustrated with the Warriors’ lack of focus in the first half that he told them he was going to just stop coaching. Much like a teacher fed up with his students, Kerr told the players to go coach themselves in the second half.
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When Klay’s 37 started happening in the 3rd quarter, they didn’t need much coaching. During one timeout, you could even spot David Lee and company telling each other to run the Warriors’ famed “elevator doors” play to spring Klay open.
The result? Another Klay Thompson three.
With Oracle almost levitating during that 3rd quarter, Klay Thompson’s 37 in a quarter is a moment that Warriors’ fans will remember for a long time.
60 Points in 29 Minutes
Klay apparently wasn’t done breaking shooting records. In December 2016, he scored 60 points in only 29 minutes, the highest point total under 30 minutes in history.
Because of a Warriors’ blowout, Kerr sat Thompson for the entire 4th quarter. Some speculate that, with how laser-focused Thompson was that night, he would have come close to Kobe’s 81 had he played in the last quarter. But Kerr wisely chose rest for his players and respect for the opponent rather than to chase records.
Making it even more impressive was that Thompson scored his 60 points on only 11 dribbles, and held the ball for a total of 90 seconds the entire game. To put it into perspective, Kobe Bryant held the ball for 400 seconds in one of his 60-point games, and LeBron held the ball for 390 seconds in one of his 60-point performances.
Instead of resorting to isolations or forcing his shot, Klay scored his points with constant movement off the ball, coming off an endless number of screens and continue cutting to the rim.
The 60 points, more so than usual, was a clear demonstration of how important off-ball movement can be for a player, and just how good Klay Thompson was at it.