(The original article was published on January 9 by NBA writer Mark Medina, and the content of the article does not represent the views of the translator.) ）
It would have been nice if Klay could solve the Warriors' problems with a crucial three-pointer or a timely defense, but unfortunately, unlike for most of his career, he can't provide such help right now. He missed the entire 2019-20 season for a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in the 2019 Finals. Then before the start of the 2020-21 season, he suffered a rupture in the Achilles tendon and was absent for more than a year. So after losing as many as 53 points to the Raptors last season, he gave a speech in the locker room.
"We're the Warriors, we're much more than that." Clay roared.
Clay's rare post-match speeches were not ignored by the team. He also made a speech after the G6 loss to the Raptors in the 2019 Finals. The Warriors believe Clay's speech inspired them to sprint in the final month of last season and were given the chance to play in the playoffs. Thompson's outburst also provided us with an opportunity to understand how he handled his absence due to injury over the past two years or so.
"He let us know that we should take responsibility for the team and that's what we should do. He was injured and is recovering and he just wants to get back on the pitch earlier, which speaks to his love and nostalgia for the game. Looney said in an interview with the NBA's official website.
This moment also shows how much the Warriors miss Klay.
Since Klay injured his left knee on June 13, 2019, the Warriors have undergone a change of identity. Less than a month later, Durant joined the Nets as a free agent. Three months later, the Warriors' home stadium moved from Oracle Arena to chase center. In the past two years, the Warriors have not returned to the Finals, or even made the playoffs.
However, the Warriors will soon regain their identity. Clay will make a comeback against the Cavaliers on Monday. No wonder Fraser, the team's assistant coach, predicted: "When Clay returns, the whole Chase Center will be overturned. "For the last 941 days, the Warriors have played without Klay. And when they had Klay, the team helped the Warriors win three championships in five Finals trips with his precise three-pointers, solid defense and team-first attitude.
"Clay was moved when he returned because of the pain he suffered when he recovered. It was very difficult for Clay to overcome it, the fans missed him so much that the team had to move on without him. It's all tough, so when the moment comes, you'll recall the whole journey. Warriors general manager Miles told the NBA official website.
Thompson's injury has hampered the Warriors' hopes of winning the title
In Game 5 of the Finals, Durant chose to come back after missing five games due to a calf strain, only to suffer a ruptured right Achilles tendon. But the Warriors won that game anyway, dragging the game to Game Six and returning to Oracle Arena. And regained the confidence to win the Finals trophy for three consecutive years. Warriors assistant Coach Brown clearly remembers Klay speaking after the game at G5.
'We're going to win this round, we're going to win the sixth game, we're going to get back to the championship podium." Brown recalled Clay's speech at the time.
Against a Raptors team with Leonard, Lowry, Siakam and Gasol Jr., Klay seems ready to back up for that bold prediction. After all, the Warriors also have Curry, Green and Iguodala.
Toward the end of the third quarter of the sixth game, Clay had scored 28 points. Some on the Warriors' coaching staff have compared the performance to a career-high 41 points from his playoff career in Game 6 of the 2016 Western Conference Finals against the Thunder. As Fraser said: "We're going to win this game and when he's there he's there he's so good. ”
Nothing seemed to stop Clay, but he found that this was not the case. With 2:22 left in the third quarter, he tried to dunk on a fast-break break, with former Raptors guard Danny Green blocking from behind. This caused Clay to land awkwardly on his left leg before he fell. Clay lay on the ground and grabbed his left knee.
'For Green, trying to chase Clay from behind was a tough move, but because both players were playing with anger. Brown said.
Clay's fall to the ground caused confusion because the Warriors did not immediately know the seriousness of Clay's injury. Clay's teammates Jordan Bell and Jerebko helped Clay into the dressing room. But Clay soon returned to perform two free throws, and the pain of that moment was masked by his adrenaline.
Later, Kerr recalled telling Clay, "We'll perform tactical fouls to replace you." Clay's response, "No, we don't need fouls, I can finish the rest of the section." Even after he returned to the dressing room, his agent Lawrence saw Clay "running and jumping.". But the Warriors' medical team quickly decided that Clay needed to go to a nearby hospital to shoot the film. Before the Warriors lost game six, Clay learned he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
"It was like, as a team, after five consecutive years of reaching the finals, we were exhausted." In an interview with the NBA's official website, Kerr said, "After two major injuries in two consecutive games, I think the load on the players has completely exploded." They endured everything, not only to reach the limit, but to transcend that limit. ”
2 years, 2 injuries and a long journey
Despite Klay's season-deprecated injury, the Warriors did not hesitate when they decided to renew his contract. Clay, who has been named an All-Star five times before, has proven himself to be one of the most trusted offensive and defensive players. He was still at the peak of his career. While that made Clay appreciate the team's selection of him with the 11th pick in 2011, it didn't ease the frustration of injury.
First, Klay is tired after a long Finals experience with the Warriors, and his current form is not suitable for him to recover.
"After the ACL, they thought you could stand up the next day. That's why the first injury was tough because Clay needed a buffer period. But all of a sudden, he needed to start the recovery process right away. Lawrence said.
Second, money is hard to make Clay happy. Consider what Clay said during his absence for the 2019-20 season. "At one point he did say, 'Money doesn't matter, championship trophies don't matter, I just want to play basketball.'" Fraser recalled.
This explains why Clay chose to stay away from the team for most of his left knee injury. Before Clay suffered his first injury, he played 615 of 640 regular-season games and 122 of 123 playoff games over eight seasons.
"People say, 'Why doesn't a player stay more on the bench or with the team?' I'd say Clay has done a great job, but I think it's extremely painful for him to have him watch from the sidelines and not be able to play on his own. For him, watching the game not play is a heartfelt pain. Miles said.
In the 2020 offseason, Clay was finally able to do some basketball-related training, and his pain eased a lot.
During the two-week mini-camp, Clay trained with the Warriors. It's also a privilege for teams that didn't make it to the playoffs, and Clay also played training games against other players in Los Angeles.
"I saw Clay happy when he played wildball in Los Angeles, and it made me happier than anything else. Most people didn't get a chance to see him at that time, so I was already grateful to have the opportunity to watch him play at that moment and see how excited he looked. Green said in an official NBA interview.
This good feeling didn't last long.
On the afternoon of NBA draft day, when Clay was playing in Los Angeles with other professional players, he suffered a right Achilles tendon rupture. Clay, who suffered an injury on a jump shot after two dribbles, said the move "he did it a hundred times a day." But this time, Clay fell to the ground as he prepared to return to defense.
Lawrence soon called Miles, who was sitting in the draft gear. Coach Kerr was also present and found that Miles's face was not good in an instant after answering the phone. He quickly put down the phone and said in an unbelievable tone, "Clay just tore his Achilles tendon apart." ”
Soon after, Miles met with Kerr and Warriors owner Lacob, then called Curry and drove it hands-free. Miles recalled that when they told Curry the news, "there was silence on the other end of the phone. It wasn't long before the parties contacted Clay on a conference call, their wording was vague.
"When we lose a player like that, our view of this season has changed completely. It kills the joy and confidence you have when you enter this season. You try to assemble a team right away to fill his void, but we never really did. Looney said.
There is no doubt that Miles described Clay's first conference call as "dejected" and "mentally broken.". Many NBA players have overcome Achilles tendon injuries, including Kobe, Wall, Cousins, Guy and Matthews. But only Durant and Wilkins are the only two players who have performed better after an Achilles tendon injury.
Last March, Clay described last season as "the worst year of my life." Not only did he have to deal with injuries reimbursed for two seasons, but he also had to deal with the deaths of his grandmother and Kobe Bryant and Gianna.
Then, a week after undergoing surgery on Clay's injury, Miles noticed that Clay had shown a different attitude, and while visiting Clay's parents in Los Angeles, he noticed that although Clay was unable to move on crutches, he showed an "attitude of accepting others." Shortly after Miles arrived, Durant spoke to Clay on the phone, giving him encouragement and a vision for the future.
"It's interesting to observe this process. It's easy for him to say, 'Is this TM kidding me?' ''Why is this happening to me?'' But Clay's attitude was, 'I'm going to give it my all and make sure I can do my best.' I'm going to be with the team. He had an unbelievable state of mind. Lawrence said.
While the Warriors have praised Klay for his strict eating habits and training before injury, Lawrence said Klay has made some undisclosed tweaks in this regard, partly to make up for his regret of not being able to play, and on the other hand to provide a potential advantage for his return.
By March last year, Clay had taken off his protective boots and had medical clearance for a variety of trainings, including walking, weightlifting, calf stretching, flexibility and balance exercises, and running on an underwater weight-bearing treadmill. By mid-November, the Warriors had been allowed to participate in full-time confrontation training before sending Clay to the Santa Cruz Warriors in the development league. Since then, Clay has practiced with Santa Cruz and participated in some pre-match warm-ups.
"His body is at its best in his life, and you can find out as soon as you see him. He's in good shape and you can tell he's put a lot of training into it. It's wonderful to see him keep going and keep training. Green said.
Because Clay is often with the team, he can encourage and mentor his teammates on the sidelines. Like the Warriors' 53-point loss to the Raptors last season, Clay occasionally criticizes the team's play. However, because Clay interacts more actively, he becomes more emotional.
Think about what happened to the Warriors against the Nuggets on April 23, 2021, the first time they've welcomed fans in since the coronavirus. After the game, Curry approached Clay on the bench, who held back tears, and then Curry and Clay talked and encouraged him.
"It's a very uncomfortable feeling, you realise he's been out of the game for a long time, how much he misses the atmosphere of the game, how much he misses that feeling on the pitch. He knew he would have to wait a long time, and it was tough to think of these Clays who would be a little frustrated. But luckily he was by our side instead of sitting at home watching the game. Curry said.
Something similar happened on November 26, 2021, after the Warriors' game against the Trail Blazers. After the game, Clay sat on the bench for about 30 minutes with a towel over his head. When he sits on the bench, his teammates will sit next to him from time to time, and the rest of the fans will constantly cheer for him.
"He was very happy at the time, so you have to pass on some positive energy and ideas to him. It's one of the days he has to go through, 'I can play right now, I feel good, I want to play, I can play.' But I have to get through the last hurdle, and the rest of the day is likely to be much tougher. I think he was like that that day. Green said.
"But seeing the fans hugging him, everyone coming back to support him and keep encouraging him, that's what matters most."
Clay "earned this opportunity" for himself.
The Warriors also found it important that Klay could also bring lightness, joy and laughter to the team. The Warriors witnessed a lot of great moments on Clay's Instagram livestream. Clay often shoots videos of himself driving to work, listening to music and reporting on progress. Looney called the videos "one of the most interesting things you can see on social media." ”
Then, the most memorable moments took place outside the public eye.
On Monday, Miles and Clay discussed his impending comeback, but when Clay spoke to Miles in a sailor suit, Miles held back a smile.
"When you're wearing a captain's hat, I can't look at you in a serious way." Miles said with a smile. "I'm going to get off the boat to work." Clay said with a smile. Many of the Warriors' players haven't trained back and forth with Clay's yacht, and they politely insist on keeping these details secret. But Clay provided enough joy in other respects.
Shortly after learning that the NBA had excluded him from the all-time 75 stars, Clay texted Lawrence asking if he could change his jersey number to 77.
"That's bullshit, I'm going to blow up these guys after my comeback." Lawrence recalled Clay's text messages.
Lawrence knew how impossible it was to get Clay to change his jersey number due to licensing and inventory issues. Instead, he called Miles to ask if he could customize a No. 77 jersey for Clay to hang next to his locker. Lawrence pleaded with Miles, "I think it's a good thing for him, and this dress will motivate him." ”
"I don't want Lawrence to feel offended, or to have Clay misunderstand what I mean. But Lawrence did a great job and kept communicating with Clay. Miles said with a smile.
So when Clay saw that No. 77 jersey, he often wore it during training. On Halloween, Clay dressed up as Larry Bird, wearing a Celtic jersey and blonde hair, mimicking his shooting posture. Since then, Clay has worn ABA-era jerseys, shorter pants, and a headscarf.
"What he's doing right now, I'm not interested in. But what excites me is what he will be like when he comes back on the pitch. Will he be the captain of the Washington Bullets in the '70s? Or is he still that Klay Thompson? Brown said.
So, Brown recently told Clay, "I hope you can clean up your face before you come back because it looks terrible." Clay laughed and retorted, "You don't understand fashion, you don't understand fashion." ”
After all, Clay set an NBA record of 14 three-pointers in a single game three years ago. He was also wearing a headband at the time, and the Warriors said Klay's most recent shooting practice was talking trash in the same clothes.
"He likes to win, whether it's a shooting game, a one-on-one, a five-on-five or anything else. But there is competition, and if he wins, we can all feel the fun in it, and if he loses, he will be very angry. Warriors player development coach Demar said he and Klay do personal training together.
All of this made the Warriors team even more excited about Klay's return.
Over the past two and a half years, they've witnessed Clay's most vulnerable moments, having to endure the pain of injury, endure the monotonous recovery process, and endure the frustration of staying on the sidelines. While Clay's return may pose some problems, the Warriors are already eager to see Clay in this more familiar environment.
"He put a lot of training into that and he earned himself this opportunity." Cole said this about Clay.
By Mark Medina
Compile: Fontaine