The NBA is coming back soon, though not soon enough for a large portion of the sports audience. And while real NBA action won’t be here for nearly two months, we do sometimes get good replacements.
For example, here’s Klay Thompson in the gym being locked down by a dog. Now, you might be wondering if there’s more context to this video, but I assure you there isn’t. None that matters, anyway. Because this is a dog, playing defense (or something like it) on one of the best shooters in the NBA. That might not quite satisfy all of the “who, what, where, when, and why” requirements, but that’s fine.
Klay vs. K9 pic.twitter.com/11lJUNcn5Y
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) August 30, 2017
The dog does a great job staying in front, and while being vocal throughout; good talk is key for quality defense. The dog does go for a ball fake (as do most dogs) that allows Klay to free up a bit of space for his shot. But the dog offers a solid contest, closing out without fouling and barking like that one guy in your rec league who yells “Shot!” all the time. (That’s sometimes me. I have some regrets.) It’s better than what James Harden would have done.
And it worked! The dog then goes after the long defensive rebound, well on his or her way to a fast break. Solid fundamentals all around, especially considering the dog is a dog, and Klay Thompson is not.
(Bonus points for the other dog stalking the baseline nonchalantly.)
Here’s a fun thing to imagine: if the Warriors played a lineup of Steph, Klay, KD, Draymond, and that dog for 20 minutes a game, how many games would they win?
(Trick question, we all win.)
