Golden State Warriors: Kerr robs Klay Thompson of historic scoring mark
For one night, we could have seen history made. Monday night against the Indiana Pacers, Klay Thompson decided to put on a scoring display that only Wilt Chamberlain and Kobe Bryant could appreciate.
Through the first half of the game, Thompson scored 40 points and by the end of the third quarter, he had reached 60. Then, we all wondered to ourselves or out loud to anyone listening; “Will Kerr let him play the fourth”? As a fan of such a remarkable feat I wanted to see him at least top Kobe’s 81 but Kerr, thinking like a coach and not a basketball fan robbed us of a special milestone.
[embedit snippet=”2″]I get that the Golden State Warriors were already up by 33 but this was history, a career-defining moment that would place his name in the NBA Hall of Fame just for this feat alone. It’s a shame when a decision like this has to be made. Being the professional that he is, Thompson will say the right things after the game and not bring any more heat on the Kerr that is sure to come, but the competitor in Thompson wanted more. And not just him. The excitement that his teammates were showing on the floor and on the bench spoke volumes.
They wanted to see it just as bad as Thompson wanted to score it.
For the night Thompson shot 21-33, 8-14 from three-point range and 10-11 from the stripe. He was on fire and Kerr just decided enough was enough. I get that Thompson is a major part of the team’s success and Kerr didn’t want to risk injury but,this was history here. Monday night was one of those moments that never comes around for an athlete and to have that moment in your hands and be told to drop it has to sting.
The team will have to answer these question for a few days but remember where Kerr comes from. He’s old school and was just looking out for his player and team. As much fun as that was, what if it all went wrong?
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
