Warriors' Klay Thompson named to All-Star team (w/video)

OAKLAND - After Warriors guard Klay Thompson went on his mind-boggling barrage last week, scoring 37 points in a quarter, George Gervin got a little nostalgic.

But you can’t say it brought back memories. When you’re shooting a basketball like that, Gervin said, the mind is nothing but a blank space.

“I’m sure there are shots he took that he didn’t even remember until the he saw the highlight video,” Gervin, the NBA Hall of Famer, said in a phone interview. “He was in a place very few people are able to get to.”

Gervin, nicknamed the “Iceman,” scored 33 points in a quarter in 1978 and, like Thompson, was just letting it fly and letting magic take it from there.

And though he roots for the San Antonio Spurs these days, he pulled Thompson to make his first NBA All-Star Game. The Western Conference reserves were announced Thursday and Thompson is in, joining a team that already includes his backcourt mate, Stephen Curry.

In fact, with Kobe Bryant unable to play because of a torn right rotator cuff, there’s a chance Thompson could start alongside Curry on Feb. 15 in New York.

Now that would be something to remember.

“Those two guys are the most entertaining show in the league,” Gervin said.

While Curry’s coronation was expected this season, Thompson’s dramatic all-around improvement is one of the reasons the Warriors are 36-7.

He’s no longer just a 3-point specialist and defensive stopper. He can drive to the basket, making him a more versatile scorer. He has become a better passer. He has learned how to get to the free-throw line. His already-formidable defense has improved. And, of course, Thompson can shoot. Goodness gracious, can he shoot. In his record-setting third period against the Kings last week, he was 13 of 13 from the field, including 9 of 9 from long range.

“I’ve been in one of those zones before. And when you’re in it, it feels like you're putting the ball in the ocean,” said Gary Payton, a Hall of Famer. “And that’s what he did.”

“When you’re hot, you don’t really feel it,” said Warriors coach Steve Kerr, a former long-range specialist. “The ball feels light. It feels like you’re gliding. You don’t have any thoughts. You just play. It’s a feeling of total freedom. It’s awesome. It’s hard to capture.”

Thompson surpassed the record of 33 points in a quarter set by Gervin in 1978 and tied by Carmelo Anthony in 2008.

Well, technically.

“He broke Carmelo Anthony’s record,” Gervin, 62, insisted. “My record will never be broken.”

Gervin reasons that there should be a distinction between scoring records that took place after the advent of the 3-point line, in 1979. Gervin said the only way he could get three points on a play was with the help of a free throw.

“I’d like to see anybody get the record where the only way to get a three-point play was with the ‘and-one,’?” he said.

He laughs as he says it, but it’s clear he’s also serious about the point.

The intriguing thing about Thompson is that he’s blossomed into an all-around threat who doesn’t always rely on the 3. In his 52-point onslaught against the Kings, the 6-foot-7 Thompson hit from all angles.

He hit spinning jumpers in the lane and pulled up for 3s off the dribble. He hit wide-open 3s and threes with a hand in his face. He pushed home a one-handed dunk on a lob from Curry and drove to the lane for a finger roll.

Three days after the barrage, Thompson parked himself in a plastic chair near the Warriors practice court and tried to put it into words. Thompson’s favorite part, he said, was that he didn’t do it alone.

“This is such a special group,” he said. “You could tell out there that everybody was going to give me the ball. They just wanted to see it continue and wanted me to go until I got cold. No one was going to take a shot until I was done.

“That just shows you how much these guys want you to just be you.”

In a way, his magic shooting touch might be the least surprising aspect of Thompson’s emergence. His scoring average has long been on the rise, climbing a little bit each year, from 12.5 to 16.6 to 18.4 to 22.8.

What delights the Warriors is that Thompson is doing so much more, maturing from prolific shooter to all-around offensive force. Ethan Sherwood Strauss of ESPN.com recently detailed Thompson’s “six new lethal moves”, using animated GIFs to break down an arsenal with cool names like “The Whirlpool,” “The Transition Slowdown” and the “Aussie-Go-Round.”

Kerr, soon after replacing Mark Jackson as coach, encouraged Thompson to use everything in his bag. He told the guard to be “greedy” about getting his shot.

“I don’t want that ‘greedy’ phrase to be misinterpreted,” Kerr said when asked about it last week. “The way we talked about it was being greedy for space, being greedy for great shots instead of just trying to get shots off.

“When you have that kind of skill that Klay has - and at that size - he’s a threat to get a good shot every time down the floor.

“So with his strength, and his ability to handle the ball, I think he needs to be greedy to get into the paint and shoot open pull-up 12-footers. He needs to get greedy to pump-fake, get a guy off his feet and jump into him and draw a couple of foul shots. He needs to be greedy to shoot an open 3 in transition without hesitation.

“And I think he’s getting there. The last few weeks he’s been phenomenal.”

Thompson is drawing 4.0 free-throw attempts per game - up 2.3 per game from last season - after studying film of how shooters such as Reggie Miller and Allan Houston attacked the rim. His dad gave him a nudge, too. Mychal Thompson, a former No. 1 pick who won two NBA titles with the Lakers, told Klay that players like Magic Johnson and Larry Bird played boldly because they knew they were the best.

He’s not just a Splash Brother now - he’s also a Slash Brother, willing to go hard to the hoop.

Overall this season, Thompson is averaging career highs with 23.0 points and shooting an absurd 45.6 percent from 3-pont range.

Those looking to explain the growth in Thompson’s game start by tracing a line back to his summer with Team USA. Playing under Coach Mike Krzyzewski, the guard was one of the team’s top performers as the U.S. won gold at the FIBA World Cup in Spain.

“Honestly, I think his experiences this summer made him realize, ‘You know, maybe I’m as good or better than some of these other guys that are playing on this Select team,’?” said Jerry West, a Warriors executive board member and a Hall of Famer. “(Klay) also just keeps growing in confidence as a player. Once a player gets in his third or fourth year, if he’s really talented and has a heart that really beats, he’s going to be able to do something at a completely different level in terms of production on the court.”

With all the talk about Thompson’s new moves, it’s easy to forget how important it was that he stayed put. The Warriors considered trading him to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Kevin Love (who just happens to be one of Thompson’s former youth league baseball teammates).

Kerr was asked this week if Thompson’s star-making play this season validates his vote to keep him.

“I don’t look at it that way,” Kerr said. “To me, the way that whole thing unfolded was perfect. That’s exactly how an organization is supposed to do it. You assess what’s out there. You look at how each team is going to get better. The people who have influence - the GM, owner, coaching staff, the pro personnel side - you throw it all in the hopper and you make an organizational decision.

“And that’s what we did. I don’t think anybody should feel validated. Our organization should feel validated that the whole process was really sound.”

Instead of suiting up in a Timberwolves jersey, Thompson signed a near-max contract worth almost $70 million to remain in Golden State for the next four years.

“He’s proven that he’s worth that money,” Payton said. “He’s going to be worth a lot more if he keeps it up.”