Klay Thompson can’t go home because he is within us all

We have that and more in Sunday’s NBA newsletter.

There’s something about Klay Thompson and Game 6s facing elimination. On Saturday, with the Warriors down 3-2 in the series against the Rockets, Thompson exploded to help erase a 17-point Houston lead and give the Warriors a 29-point win. Klay hit nine threes, tied for the second highest in playoff history. No. 1 all-time? Klay, of course, who hit 11 in that famous Game 6 against the Thunder in 2016.

Klay topped all the magic off by celebrating as only Klay can: raising the roof, screaming “We’re not going home!” The Warriors are in fact not going home: they are going to Houston for a Game 7 on Monday. It does not look like Chris Paul will play in that one, either. Uh oh.

Saturday’s Scores

Warriors 115, Rockets 86
Series tied 3-3
Recaps: Golden State Of Mind | The Dream Shake

WNBA Scoreboard: Fever drop to 0-5 by losing to the Sun, Skylar Diggins-Smith carries the Wings past the Dream.

Sunday’s Schedule

Cavaliers at Celtics, 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Series tied 3-3
GAME 7 BABY!!!

WNBA Schedule: Some really good match-ups on Sunday, including the defending champ Lynx against the 3-0 Mystics, a revival of the Mercury-Sparks rivalry, and (on NBA TV but up against fricking Game 7 for some reason) Storm vs. Aces.

Links Galore

For the first time in 39 years, both conference finals series will come down to Game 7. How cool is that?

Before Game 6, Mike Prada wrote about how the Rockets defense ground the Warriors into unrecognizable sludge. Tim Cato writes that the Warriors are now back to their normal electrifying selves.

That was the biggest loss for any team who led by at least 17 after the first quarter of a playoff game.

Paul Flannery wrote about LeBron’s Game 6 masterpiece. Does he have an encore? (Well, Flanns does, of course.)

Some really bad news: Kevin Love is in the concussion protocol and will miss Game 7.

Neil Paine on the unnecessary reinforcement of LeBron’s legend in this series vs. Boston.

The Warriors’ post-game was pretty fun. This question to Kevin Durant and Steph Curry about Klay’s 2016 Game 6 was ice cold. Draymond Green and Charles Barkley were at the same table without punching each other. Durant forgot what day Game 7 is on. Dennis Rodman visited Nick Young in a dream, inspiring him to D up on James Harden. Klay got a hard hat from Chinese media. Glorious.

Note to Dr. Shaq and Nurse Chuck: Advil is not a cure for a concussion.

An AAU player collapsed on the court at a Nike EYBL event in Virginia on Saturday. Rest in peace, James Hampton.

Be excellent to each other.