"It was fun while it lasted," as any true Golden State Warriors fan could say after the team's disappointing Game 6 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Not a vicious tirade about the futility of Jordan Poole's existence, not an obscenity-laden attack on the working poor, just calm, uninhibited thought: this is what it is. It was what it was.
And what it was, a 4-2 series loss to a team more athletic, more consistent, and more sloppy than they were, a series that turned into a hard-to-watch Game 6 that the Warriors never got a handle on.
Steph Curry's heart bled on that court at Crypto.com Arena. Golden State's role players don't play until they can't give anymore, which is definitely not a win-win situation. The Warriors' series against the Lakers was like a pressure cooker ticking faster and faster, steam rising, nerves fraying, the tiniest shred of hope still fueling Golden State's flame… it was all over.
There were no dramatic explosions at the end of this series, no flashing sirens for a top-down turnaround like the Suns' horrendous beating by the Nuggets. Instead, only the faint "poof" of a distant dream and two remaining thoughts: It was fun while it lasted. And: If we were perfect, we could defeat them.
Warriors responsible for first playoff exit: Klay Thompson From now on, Klay Thompson will never be known as Game 6 Klay. Game 6 Klay no longer exists. It's just Klay, now.
Thompson finished Friday's game with a paltry eight points. He went 3 of 19 from the field and 2 of 12 from the 3-point line; Those are pretty bad numbers, but if you've been tracking his performance all series, you know they're not crazy anomalies.
The Lakers set out to bottle Klay from the start, and Thompson's streaky form along with their defensive tactics made Splash Brother just a bro.
Following his near-record-setting Game 2 showcase with 30 points and eight 3s, Thompson went 10-for-36 from 3 over the next three games.