Klay Thompson says Mozgov's foul looked dirty
CLEVELAND – Klay Thompson, the Splash Brothers shooting guard whose Golden State Warriors were routed 120-90 by the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night, took his best shot of the night after the buzzer sounded.
And unlike the nine that he missed in 13 attempts during his 10-point outing, this one hit the desired target: Cavaliers big man Timofey Mozgov.
Thompson, while guarding Cavs point guard Kyrie Irving with 34 seconds left in the first quarter, ran into Mozgov in the key and clearly saw the play as more than an accidental collision. The two crashed, with Mozgov kneeing Thompson on a screen that was set near the top of the key, and Thompson went on to miss the next five minutes of game action.
“I’m guarding Kyrie, I’m running full speed downhill, (and) I just don’t know who’s trying to set a pick on me in the middle of the key,” Thompson said afterward. “I mean if it was on the perimeter, I’d understand. But it didn’t make sense to me. Obviously it didn’t feel good, but I’ll be all right.
“Luckily for us, we’ve got a day off. I’ve got to take the day off tomorrow and get it healthy. It’s the Finals, so you can’t keep me out of it. But I re-watched (the play), and I was confused why he’s trying to set a screen in the key when we’re both running full speed down the middle. It seemed kind of dirty, (and) to stick his knee out too. But that’s basketball.”
Only Thompson knows to what degree the thigh problem slowed him down, but he clearly didn’t play like his All-Star self. His fellow Splash Brother, Stephen Curry, wasn’t much better (19 points, three assists and one rebound). The Warriors’ third All-Star, forward Draymond Green, had just six points (two of eight shooting) to go with seven rebounds and seven assists.
For Mozgov’s part, he only played six minutes. But the Cavs, in part because of his wayward knee, were a plus-11 during his time on the floor.