When the stakes are at their highest, when the lights shine the brightest, and when every possession feels like life or death — that’s when legends are made. And Klay Thompson, time and time again, has proven that he’s not just built for these moments — he owns them. One of the most iconic examples of this? The night Klay went 8-for-11 from three in an elimination game. A performance so cold-blooded, it left fans and opponents alike shaking their heads in disbelief.
Let’s rewind. It was Game 6 of the 2016 Western Conference Finals. The Golden State Warriors were on the brink of elimination, down 3-2 to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder had Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook in their prime, and the crowd at Chesapeake Energy Arena was as raucous as it gets. Everyone expected OKC to close the series out at home. Everyone except Klay.
From the opening tip, Klay was locked in. Not just locked in — he was possessed. The kind of focus where it’s not even about the opponent anymore. It’s just you, the ball, and the basket. And that basket must’ve looked like the size of the ocean, because Klay couldn’t miss. He went on to hit 11 total threes in that game — an NBA playoff record at the time — but it’s that 8-for-11 stretch from beyond the arc that stands out as the turning point.
It wasn’t just that he was hitting shots. It was when he was hitting them. Every time the Thunder looked like they were about to pull away, there was Klay, calmly rising up and splashing another three. No celebration. No trash talk. Just buckets. Ruthless, efficient, mechanical destruction. Like a silent assassin who lets his game do all the talking.
The Thunder didn’t know what hit them. Durant was stunned. Westbrook looked lost. And Klay? He barely cracked a smile. He was in his zone, and when Klay gets into that zone — you can ask any NBA player — there’s nothing you can do. You can double him, trap him, face-guard him, run him off the line — it doesn’t matter. He’ll still find a way to get it off and bury it.
By the time the final buzzer sounded, Klay had dropped 41 points, dragged the Warriors to a Game 7, and shifted the momentum of the entire series. Golden State would go on to win Game 7 and complete the comeback, but it was Klay’s performance in Game 6 that lived on in NBA lore. Not Steph. Not Draymond. Not KD (who hadn’t joined yet). Klay was the hero.
And that’s what makes him so special. He doesn’t chase the spotlight — he just shows up when it matters most. You won’t see him padding stats in a blowout or forcing shots to get his numbers. But give him a must-win game, give him pressure, give him a hostile arena and a season on the line — and you’re going to see something unforgettable.
“Game 6 Klay” has since become a meme, a nickname, a myth. But it’s not a myth. It’s real. And the numbers back it up. Over his career, Klay has consistently stepped up in elimination games, averaging more points, shooting a higher percentage, and hitting more threes when the Warriors are facing the end. That 8-for-11 performance wasn’t a fluke. It was just another chapter in the book of Klay.
In a league full of flashy stars and highlight reels, Klay Thompson is a reminder that the deadliest players don’t always need the spotlight — they become it. And on that night in OKC, with the season on the line and the noise deafening, Klay didn’t just survive the moment — he defined it.
Game 6. 8-for-11. Elimination game. Say less. 😤
