SAN FRANCISCO — Proper after talking on the podium postgame, Klay Thompson walked throughout the bowels of Chase Middle and into the Warriors’ house locker room, totally wearing a blue blazer and khakis along with his latest captain’s hat.
For 48 electrical minutes within the Chase Middle, Thompson was on the enemy facet. The identical sold-out crowd that showered him with appreciation throughout an emotional participant introduction jeered him after airballs and when he’d flip it over. He competed in opposition to Steph Curry, with whom he created one of the best taking pictures backcourt in NBA historical past over the previous decade, and in the end got here up quick in a playoff-like environment.
Thompson felt what it’s wish to be on the unsuitable facet of a clutch Curry flurry within the fourth quarter. Thompson’s a maniacal competitor, and shedding “sucks,” he mentioned.
However he nonetheless had brothers to test in with within the house locker room.
“I felt the love from the followers,” Thompson mentioned. “It was a bit of bizarre at first, seeing Steph heat up. However that’s the character of our enterprise, change occurs. It’s occurred to loads of nice gamers who gained championships collectively. However yeah, it was surreal. An evening I’ll always remember.”
Anybody who watched the sport gained’t neglect it for a very long time. Thompson and Curry went back-and-forth, stealing one another’s signature celebrations and draining a mixed 11 3-pointers. Curry stole the present on the finish, hitting the night-night after rainbowing the game-sealing 3 after which screaming into the cameras.
The Warriors gained, 120-117, and Thompson (22 factors) bought the hero’s welcome he deserved.
“Even from July when Klay determined to go to Dallas to us displaying up for coaching camp and him not being right here, it was type of like a gradual construct to this night time for everyone,” Curry mentioned postgame. “As a result of it’s such a distinct search for us, Klay in a brand new uniform. Granted we gained so I can say this: I couldn’t think about it going another manner. We performed effectively, the group bought an incredible present, it went right down to the wire. Can’t actually draw it up any higher.”
Thompson’s right that gamers change groups traditionally, even after being a part of a dynasty. Scottie Pippen left Chicago (as did Michael Jordan). Shaquille O’Neal left the Lakers after he and Kobe Bryant three-peated. Tony Parker completed his profession in Charlotte. LeBron James, a dynasty unto himself, has modified groups thrice.
However nothing fairly like Tuesday night time has ever actually occurred. A minimum of within the fashionable period, no participant has left a dynastic trio solely to return to play his former crew with the opposite two pillars nonetheless taking part in at a excessive degree like Curry and Draymond Inexperienced are.
“I don’t know if there’s one other kind of instance like this,” Curry mentioned.
Because the tribute video performed for Thompson pregame, each Warrior and Maverick participant and coach craned their neck to look at. CDraymond Inexperienced screened the video beforehand as a mechanism to concentrate on the sport and never the feelings of his brother returning. Steve Kerr bought “a bit of misty eyed, for positive.”
Curry considered it from the tunnel, the place he had his personal house to soak up the second.
“I knew I’d get actual emotional if I used to be on the market trying down and watching him,” Curry mentioned. “So I attempted to guard myself a bit of bit there. You then didn’t know the way lengthy the standing ovation was going to go, as a result of that’s the followers’ second to acknowledge and rejoice him. I did take a look at him at that time. You possibly can inform he was completely satisfied. Then he did his little shoulder shrug, like, ‘Let’s go.’ That was a extremely cool second.”
As for Thompson? He reveled within the second. He mentioned he didn’t assume an excessive amount of about what the night time was going to be forward of time, preserving an open thoughts. The gang’s standing ovation and cacophony of cheers didn’t carry him to tears, but it surely was overwhelming nonetheless.
“It was a extremely cool expertise,” Thompson mentioned. “I respect the followers very a lot. The captain’s hat ended up being an important contact as a result of I’m such a passionate boater. Noticed quite a lot of acquainted faces within the crowd. That was a warm-hearted feeling. It was actually cool to see the followers’ gratitude towards myself, one thing I’ll by no means take without any consideration. It was very, very superior.”
Curry and Thompson determined to scrap the deliberate remarks from Curry by way of textual content messages Monday night time, deciding that it wasn’t obligatory. This was Thompson’s second, and Curry didn’t must remind anybody of that.
Whereas Curry and Thompson warmed up pregame in reverse corners on the Chase Middle court docket, Curry mentioned he wasn’t positive if he ought to go say hello to his teammate of 13 years. “Like on the blacktop at recess or one thing like that,” Curry mentioned. He didn’t wish to lose his concentrate on getting ready for the sport.
“The primary time I talked to him was proper earlier than the soar ball,” Curry mentioned. “It was a bizarre stability all the best way round, making an attempt to deal with all of the feelings.”
After the pregame festivities, it was all concerning the recreation. Thompson took Curry into the publish on the Mavericks’ first possession, at which Curry mentioned he “blacked out.” The Splash Brothers traded 3s and celebrations, with Thompson making an attempt out a shimmy each Curry and Inexperienced deemed “horrible.”
In the long run, Curry put the Warriors excessive with a flawless 12-point, 4-for-4 fourth quarter. He screamed into the digital camera after his dagger 3-pointer over Dereck Energetic, saying partly, “You higher keep right here.”
Effectively, Thompson is gone, having fun with a contemporary begin with the defending Western Convention champions. That doesn’t make Tuesday night time’s homecoming regular.
“It’ll at all times be bizarre” Curry mentioned. “There’s nothing that may remedy that. You heard us discuss for years about us all wanting to complete our careers taking part in for one group. It clearly didn’t occur. However all through this complete course of, you need him to be completely satisfied, you need him to play basketball on the highest degree for so long as he can. The change of surroundings is nice.
You already know down the highway, when it’s all mentioned and accomplished and all of us come again for all of the ceremonies and divulges and all that stuff, it’ll be extra of a possibility to really mirror. However I believe this recreation helped as a result of you may perceive what it appears like to actually see him on a distinct crew and are available again to the place he known as house for therefore lengthy. I don’t know the way it’ll play out once we play them (three) extra occasions, but it surely’ll be a bit of extra regular subsequent time.”
