SAN FRANCISCO – This will be no ordinary night, because Klay Thompson was no ordinary player, not with these Golden State Warriors.
He clapped his hand over his heart more than a few times, likely to calm himself down following a tribute video and standing ovation that chronicled his run with the franchise — the championships, the moments, the playful exuberance that was the lifeblood of a dynasty.
Before that Thompson was greeted by about 400 team and arena employees upon entering Chase Center in his return to the Bay Area, wearing “Captain Klay” boater hats that paid tribute to the shooting guard often taking the scenic route to games on his boat.
“It was really cool, very grateful for the staff to give me that kind of love,” Thompson said. “Totally unexpected and definitely put a smile on my face and something I will never forget. Kudos to the organization.”
Knowing Thompson the way the world had come to know, it was to be expected that he would struggle with the bubbling emotions he tried so hard to deny. But it was his partners in history who had to use some tricks to get themselves in the right frame of mind before competition took place.
Draymond Green watched the video earlier in the day, so he was able to get the raw feelings out of his system. Stephen Curry went to the tunnel, only capturing parts of those moments engraved in the minds of those who witnessed the most unexpected dynasty in NBA history.
The newest Dallas Maverick had no such fortune and seemed genuinely moved by the franchise’s ceremonial everything. Although the last two years have been a slog, and the business of basketball has soured the relationship for the time being, feelings are settling down – for now.
It was more than the wins. So much has been packed into those 13 years — the Game 6 Klay, the anxious Klay, the player who is the first to be chopped significantly by two debilitating injuries in a row — that it could be overwhelming.
Therefore, why Green saying that he “had zero emotions to the return of Klay” could only be said because of the methods he took earlier in the day and may have helped that he terrorized Dallas’ big men late in the 120-117 victory of Golden State.
When a player is going through marital strife with a franchise, it’s impossible to keep perspective — especially when money and playing time are involved. But with some distance, everyone can realize exactly what Thompson and the Warriors went through together, beyond the numbers and the sentiments of trade.
The plan for Curry to address Thompson in front of the crowd was scrapped by both in a text message exchange Monday night, as both wanted to keep the focus on the court, and the Chase Center crowd needed no such prompting to appreciate Thompson at this moment. — not even by the Greatest Shooter Ever.
“It’s not about me, it’s about what he meant to the Bay Area, our franchise,” Curry said. “I think it was really well done from an organizational standpoint. The fans did their thing, and me and Draymond got to be a part of it.”
But the business of competition beckoned on the very first possession, an emotionally charged contest. Thompson posted Curry — pure competition in a way we couldn’t see with other players synonymous with each other.
“I’m surprised they ran a tailback for him on the first play,” Curry said. “I knocked that one out, I wasn’t going to let him score and I fouled him. I thought I was back in training camp where I was trying to stop.”
Magic Johnson never went at Byron Scott, Isiah Thomas never tried to cross Joe Dumars, Manu Ginobili never put his Eurostep on Tony Parker. But still, there was Thompson doing the Curry shimmy — a “terrible” fake, all agreed upon later — after hitting a 3 in the second quarter.
“It was an impromptu thing,” Thompson said of the shimmy that lacked rhythm. “But when you feel it, you do things instinctively. So, do it beforehand. I know Steph has done this many times. It was a fun, playful thing, and he was a little surprised that I did it, but a great shot. Probably (will) still in the future. I played my best ball when I play loose.”
Curry, upon hitting his first triple with Thompson attacking as a help defender, showed him on his way down court.
“There’s a lot of history, so you’re going to have a lot of back and forth,” Curry said. “Some of it was competitive, some of it was fun. Luckily, we were able to focus on the game and just ring and compete.”
Thompson hit more than a few of his signature threes — six to be exact — scoring 22 points with four rebounds and three assists. Curry owned the evening with his usual heroics, scoring a season-high 37 with nine assists and six rebounds, hitting five triples in leading the Warriors to their come-from-behind win.
It felt surreal during the night, so much so that it overshadowed an amazing basketball game played on opening night of Year 2 of the NBA Cup. Neither Curry nor Thompson could look at each other while going through individual warm-ups.
And with the extra chatter and emotion throughout the game, you wondered if it was more than friendly competition, that it was some heat between teammates simmering beneath the surface.
“When you’re playing against someone you’re close with, you want to beat them even more,” Green said. “You want to play even better against them. And it just raises that level of competition. You want to do great things.”
But it was two of the league’s fiercest competitors against each other because that’s what happens when two players want it really bad – it’s palpable but not personal. Curry was extra emotional, especially after his 12-0 burst shut the lights out and gave the Warriors a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
He couldn’t remember what was said, but something along the lines of “this is my house” was bellowed into the TNT cameras as he polished off a 23-point second half.
“Yeah, it hurts to be on the other side of one of his takeoffs,” Thompson said. “A guy got hot at the end and made some ridiculous shots, and I was at the other end, and shit.”
He heard all the familiar sounds, from the familiar people – the organ accompanying the “defense” chant, the “Let’s go Warriors!” roar of the Bay Area faithful, the calls of Steve Kerr and the barking of Green.
Except they weren’t made to bark at him. He was the enemy – friendly, not mortal.
He left in free agency, but he didn’t defect from the Bay. Thompson didn’t leave as a betrayal, and unlike today’s free agency, the hard feelings seemed to be more with the player than the franchise — almost as if he had to handle this whole saga on his own.
Yes, Kyrie Irving and head coach Jason Kidd were in similar spots, but nowhere near the exact spot Thompson sat. The trio of Thompson, Curry and Green had to ride off into the sunset, presumably retiring together.
But Thompson was the first to leave, the first to feel rejected by the franchise. Every banner in Chase Center, every title won in Oakland, has Thompson’s blood on it as much as Curry’s and Green’s, a point they both readily concede.
The proud Thompson seems nowhere near the point of peace, but perhaps this was a step towards acceptance. The Warriors, for the moment, sit on the Western Conference while the Mavericks struggled, coming into the season with real championship aspirations.
In a league where superstars change addresses so much, it’s hard to stick them in retirement homes that will house their jerseys in the rafters, like Chris Paul and Paul George, for example.
Thompson is a warrior.
Maybe not at the transcendent level, but denying his value to the Warriors is foolish, and he’ll get his day — and as is customary in today’s culture, a statue outside Chase Center one day.
“Down the road, when it’s all said and done, and we all come back for ceremonies and unveilings, there will be more opportunity to really reflect,” Curry said. “This game helped because you can just understand what it’s really like to see him on a different team and come back to the place he called home for so long.”
Thompson got loose to start the fourth, and it looked like he would get some revenge before Curry worked his magic. One can be sure, while at times Thompson could acknowledge that Curry was the best shooter of all time, he could still legitimately feel that he was better.
And on this night, he was, sometimes.
Just not all the time.
So when he walked off the floor to the cheering crowd waiting on their daps and hugs to finish with his former team, they saluted him one more time. And again, before disappearing into the bowels of the arena, Thompson looked back at what he had left – or what had left him.
