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Anthony Chiang: Erik Spoelstra on Klay Thompson: "He is the definition of ignitable."
Eric Nehm: FINAL: Heat 145, Pacers 125 - Antetokounmpo 31pts/17reb/10ast - Adebayo 27pts/9reb/3ast - Thompson 25pts/3ast - Larsson 18pts/3reb/3ast - Mitchell 15pts/6reb/11ast - Wiggins 12pts The Heat are now 2-4 on the season. They start a 5-game West Coast trip on Monday vs. the Lakers.
Anthony Chiang: Erik Spoelstra on Klay Thompson: "I'm confident that he'll get there. And even with the percentage that he's shooting, he still provides us that gravity."
Eric Nehm: FINAL: Timberwolves 131, Heat 106 - Antetokounmpo 35pts/6reb - Adebayo 15pts/7reb/4ast/3stl - Wiggins 11pts/2reb - Mitchell 11pts/10ast - Thompson 10pts The Heat are now 0-1 this season. Antetokounmpo put up great numbers, but Miami just didn't have any answers defensively.
Heat Central: Klay Thompson PRAISES Giannis Antetokounmpo’s work ethic: “I’m most impressed by GA’s work ethic. It’s ridiculous how hard he works. I see him in here everyday putting in work. Especially skill work, working on his jump shot, ability to finish in the paint. It’s a joy to be his teammate. His work ethic trickles down to the last guy on the bench. When your best player has that type of work ethic, it raises the intensity of the whole organization.”
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“I feel really good about what (Klay Thompson) is providing for us,” coach Erik Spoelstra said Sunday. “First, that gravity that I’ve talked about that is well earned over the course of his entire career. They’re going to defend him a certain way. And then the last couple games, I thought we’ve gotten him some really good looks. And shooters will all go through that. He’s still getting his legs under him. He’ll be just fine. Actually, I’m really encouraged by all the other things he’s doing for us outside the three-point shooting.”
Thompson said after Sunday’s practice at Kaseya Center that he knows what is needed and what he can provide, preseason statistics aside. “Well, luckily, I have a blank slate,” he said of washing the preseason aside. “The regular season starts Wednesday, and (preseason) doesn’t count. So, for me, I wasn’t too concerned with how I shot the ball. It was more about my wind, my condition, and playing good defense. There’s still things I can get much better at, and just being out there every night.”
Bob Myers on the emotional difficulty of moving on from players: "It never did, but had I stayed in Golden State, it might have. Had I had to move off a Klay Thompson, I might have had a hard time with that. If I had been there and I had to do something with Draymond Green or Stephen Curry, something like that, that would have been personal because of what we went through together. Guys like Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, guys that won multiple championships, if I don't feel a personal, then what the hell was I doing? If I don't have a relationship with those guys, there's not 10 of them, but there's a few guys where I would have a hard time. I think I'd still do the right thing for the organization, but it would be really hard to tell a guy all that that guy did for my life, my life, personally, forget about the organization."
Klay Thompson has accomplished a lot in the NBA. He has already put together a Hall of Fame career, establishing himself as one of the greatest three-point shooters ever while winning four NBA championships with the Golden State Warriors. But Thompson still feels like he has more to prove as he enters his 14th NBA season and first season with the Miami Heat (Shopping Cart IconShop Heat Fan Gear). “I just want to prove I could still make an impact on winning, and that’s really the only reason I still play,” Thompson, 36, said. “It’s because I want to win, I’ve tasted it before. The best feeling in team sports is doing something collectively as a group. I still know I have a lot left in the tank. My ability to shoot the ball, stretch the floor.”
But the Heat’s starting group still combined to shoot 6 of 14 (42.9%) on threes because others were so open around Antetokounmpo and Thompson. “It’s a respect thing, and it means a lot to me,” Thompson said of getting extra attention from defenses. “You have to earn that. I’ve been on the defensive side of the ball where you do play a great scorer. And it’s like your natural instinct to hug up on him. It’s like you can’t give this guy any space. He’s too great of a player. And for me, I got to use that to my advantage, whether it’s screening for my teammates or flying off screens or just spacing the floor. And I think that’s why Spo and Mr. [Pat] Riley brought me here is for that point, just to be able to give guys operating room and make crucial shots when it matters most.”
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Plus, Thompson knows it’s only a matter of time before he finds some open three-point opportunities as Antetokounmpo’s teammate. “I was so impressed with Giannis’ play-making,” Thompson said of his takeaway from the Heat’s preseason opener. “I mean, I knew he was a great passer. But wow, he gets so many guys great looks. And I’m going to be on the receiving end of so many of those. So I’m not worried about my field-goal attempts or our shooting efficiency as much in the preseason. I’m more just focused on getting a grasp of this offensive system, defensive system, and being in the right spots. “I’ve been in this league a long time. I’m going to be able to have great looks, hopefully shoot efficiently. The goal is shooting efficiently. But if I’m locked in defensively, I’ll be in a great spot.”
The Bucks’ second meeting with the Warriors that season came on March 12. Thompson scored a then-season-high 38 points. He knocked down eight of his 14 3-point attempts. He got to his midrange jumper and knocked it down when the Bucks ran him off the line. He looked like himself during a 122-109 win, which snapped a six-game winning streak for Milwaukee. “This is a testament to his humility,” Thompson said of Antetokounmpo. “(That game) made me feel like I could be a great player again. After the game, he walked from the opposing bench all the way down to our bench just to tell me how happy he was for me.”
As Thompson told this story on the side of the court at Florida Atlantic University, his eyes began to well up. He fought off tears as he continued to recount the moment. “I don’t want to get emotional, but that meant a lot to me,” Thompson said. “To be one of the 75 best players ever and not to be bitter in a moment where your team loses, and I have a great game and to just give me those props, that made me look at him in a different light. “Like, man, this guy is genuinely a great human being, and that really meant a lot to me when he gave me props for coming back from what I did. So now, to be his teammate is just awesome.”
“For me, it was easy to come in early, have the guys to L.A. for minicamp because I only have so many years left to do this,” Thompson said. “I want to give it everything I got before I hang it up because, well, Giannis and I know how hard it is to win. The hardest thing to do in this league is to win a ring. “The thing I love about being in Miami is how hungry these young players are. Their commitment to being here early to condition themselves this offseason was something I’ve never really seen before. It just inspires me to give them everything I have.”
