Klay Thompson overtook Bill Russell on the all-time NBA playoff scorer list

Klay Thompson accumulated 32 points in the Warriors’ Game 5 win, overtaking a legend on the NBA’s all-time playoff scorer list.

Klay Thompson is known as an all-time great marksman, but the man is more than that, he’s a bucket hunter. Over the course of his career, he’s averaged 19.5 points per game, with less than half of those points coming from beyond the arc. His playoff average is down only slightly to 19.3, with 16 30-point postseason games in his career.

His 16th 30-point game came when the Warriors eliminated the Mavericks in Game 5. His 32 points were a game high as he scored 12 of 25 from the field and 8 of 16 from beyond the arc. That blast didn’t just help the Warriors move forward back to the NBA Finalsit also gave him 2,689 career postseason points and passed Bill Russell for No. 40 on the all-time postseason scoring list.

Who else could Klay Thompson overtake in the all-time NBA playoff scorers list?

As the Warriors advance to the Finals, Thompson will almost certainly be higher on the list. He’s just 38 points behind Russell Westbrook and 60 points behind Ray Allen, both of whom seem fairly easy to reach. Depending on how he plays and how long the streak lasts, he could also pass Patrick Ewing (124 points), Robert Parish (131) and Charles Barkley (144).

Thompson is also #29 on the NBA Finals of all time scorer list and will likely overtake Kevin McHale (48 points), Julius Erving (53), Bill Sharman (60) and Cliff Hagan (62) to break into the top 25. That was the most hit Thompson has ever scored in a previous NBA Finals appearance, scoring 137 points in the seven-game loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016. If he could do that again this year, he would also hit Frank Ramsey, but just ahead of Wilt Chamberlain and Scottie Pippen.

Regardless of where he lands, we remember Thompson as much more than just a shooter — he’s one of the top scorers in playoff history.