Veteran NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith has a piece of advice for Warriors superstar Klay Thompson, who has been struggling in the series against the Grizzlies.
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Ja Morant and his crew reminded Dub Nation that beating them wouldn’t be a walk in the park, equalizing the series 1-1. The series between the Grizzlies and Warriors continues to live up to its hype, with Game Two having drama written all over it.
A few minutes into the game, Dillon Brooks was ousted for his dirty play on Gary Payton II, causing the Warriors guard a fractured elbow. Draymond Green and Ja Morant suffered respective blows to their eyes. Amidst all this, the Grizzlies were able to even the series after losing Game One.
It was a poor showing from Steve Kerr and his men, who struggled from the field. The Warriors shot a horrid 18.4% from the 3-point line, with its Lethal Weapon 3 having a disappointing outing. Morant led the Grizzlies with a historic 47-point performance, making big plays come clutch time.
ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith, who has been gunning for GSW to win it all this season, had some words of wisdom for Klay Thompson post the Game Two loss.
Stephen A. Smith implores Klay Thompson to play his natural game.
The last few years haven’t been easy for Thompson, missing back-to-back seasons due to catastrophic injuries. A top 5 shooter of all time, Thompson has suffered a torn ACL and a ruptured Achilles in the last 3-years. The five-time All-Star would return to the hardwood in January of this year after being out for 941 days.
While the Warriors guard made an impactful return, he did take time to find his groove back, and rightly so. Nevertheless, Thompson showed us glimpses of his old self towards the end of the regular season, scoring 30+ points in the last three games.
After missing back-to-back seasons, the Dubs finally clinched a spot for the playoffs. The Warriors looked dominant in their opening series against the Nuggets, defeating them 4-1. Unfortunately, this hasn’t been the case against the Grizzlies despite winning Game One.
Boasting some of the greatest shooters of all time, the Warriors have struggled from the field. While Curry and Poole have managed to hold the fort at times, Thompson’s troubles on the offensive end have been evident.
Post the Game Two loss at Memphis, Smith, who has been an avid fan of the Splash Brothers, had the following advice for Thompson.
A couple of weeks ago, Smith publicly exclaimed how Thompson had nothing to prove to anybody, and he had to stop playing with the pressure of making a point. Smith believes the three-time champion should have been on the NBA’s 75th-anniversary team.
With Game Three and Four at the Chase Center, one can expect fireworks from Thompson.
