NBA: Warriors Star Realizes Epic Moment Before ACL Injury Finally Sunk In

Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors is questionable for the coming NBA season as he recovers from an ACL injury. There is still no certainty on whether the 29-year-old can make it back before the playoffs although the Dubs are unlikely to rush him back into action.

It was during game 6 of the 2018-19 NBA Finals where Thompson suffered the injury. A bad fall took him out of the game although the three-time NBA champion realized he did something epic. Even after suffering the injury, Thompson felt he could have returned to help the Warriors against the Toronto Raptors.

"I just remember walking off and telling Steve [Kerr], 'I'm just gonna go in the back and hopefully it'll loosen up,'" said Thompson in an interview over in China.

Obviously, this was all a result of adrenaline still flowing inside of Thompson. True enough, it initially appeared that he was still ready to re-enter the game, jumping and walking down the hallway of the arena. But of course, adrenaline would eventually wear off and this is where reality sets in.

"Once I went back there and didn't feel the energy of the crowd or see my teammates or feel that ball in my hands, the adrenaline wears off," Thompson said. "I just realized I did something pretty significant, and although it happened, I can wholeheartedly say that I left my heart out there on the court and tried my hardest. Sometimes you come up short in sports."

Thompson was one of the feared players in the 2018-19 NBA Finals, someone who could explode at any moment. Already without Kevin Durant, hoop fans were hoping to see him light it up alongside Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. That unfortunate injury was the last nail on the Warriors coffin. But that mishap did not prevent the Dubs from re-signing him.

Some wonder if the result would have been different had Thompson played or did not suffer the injury. He would have shifted the series momentum. However, all these are nothing more than "what ifs" with no certainty of seeing the Warriors winning another NBA title.

All Thompson and the Warriors can do right now and move forward. Durant is gone as well as Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston. The original big three of Thompson, Curry and Green are still around, deadly and formidable for as long as all three are healthy and actively playing on the basketball court.