“It would have been like ‘oh my god Russ, Jesus’” - Bill Simmons believes Russell Westbrook would’ve been annihilated if he struggled like Klay Thompson in the playoffs

Klay Thompson had another horrific outing in Game 4 for the Golden State Warriors against the Memphis Grizzlies. The five-time All-Star finished with 14 points on 20 shots, missing all seven of his three-point attempts.

Besides the inept offensive display, “Killa Klay” has also been caught napping in several defensive sequences even without Ja Morant for the Grizzlies. Bill Simmons, on his podcast, stated his belief that Thompson is getting a pass from the usual hammering following a poor playoff performance.

Here’s how he illustrated what could have happened had a certain LA Lakers player put up the same head-shaking numbers as Klay Thompson:

“If [Russell] Westbrook had had the game Klay had yesterday? He would have been getting annihilated. If that was a Laker playoff game and Westbrook was 6-20 and losing his guy on defense and stuff, it would have been like, ‘Oh my god, Russ, Jesus! #Russ sucks!’”

The renowned sports analyst is right. “Westbrick” would have been trending had Mr. Triple-Double ended the game with the same box score as Thompson. Skip Bayless would have been all over “Russ” for almost costing his team the game on both ends of the floor.

Bill Simmons has an idea why social media is significantly more lenient on Klay Thompson than on Russell Westbrook:

“But Klay is getting, you know because he basically missed three years, people really like him. I do feel like he’s getting a cushion with some of this stuff.”

Simmons added:

“I think he’s really been erratic during these playoffs, but at the same time, there’s this weird dynamic where cause he’s Klay, cause they’ve won with him, you give somebody like that such a long leash.”

The leash on Klay Thompson is far longer simply because he’s earned the reputation of coming up big when the Warriors need him the most. Despite shooting bricks, his presence alone opens up opportunities for his teammates, something Westbrook no longer commands.

After two brutal injuries, it’s a minor miracle the three-time champion has been playing solid basketball since returning from a lengthy layoff. Thompson may not be at his peak physically, but Steve Kerr would not even dare to pull him out in tight spots due to his proven championship pedigree.

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Klay Thompson has to play better for the Golden State Warriors to come out of the West

Klay Thompson needs to regain his shooting touch to help the Warriors win another NBA title. [Photo: NBC Sports]

The games will only get tougher as the Golden State Warriors go deeper into the 2022 NBA postseason. With Ja Morant injured and likely out for the rest of the playoffs, the Bay Area team should find themselves in the Western Conference finals next week.

Regardless of who they face, Klay Thompson has to play much better. The Memphis Grizzlies’ physicality and athleticism have bothered “Captain Klay”, causing him to shoot only 34.7% from the field. This includes a ghastly 25.7% from long-range.

In his last postseason before the crippling 2019 NBA Finals injury, Thompson averaged 45.6% from the field and a scorching 44.3% from beyond the arc.

Jordan Poole's emergence has greatly cushioned Thompson’s misfiring, but for the Warriors to return to glory, they will need the old Splash Bro back in full cry.

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