For fans of Golden State tonight’s match will be a cause for celebration, a cause for celebration considering that it corresponds to the first return to the Bay as an opponent of Klay Thompsonone of the most important players in franchise history. However it does not appear that the current guard of Dallas Mavericks marked this race on the calendar. Below are his words, apparently almost cold, regarding the return to the Chase Center.
”That chapter is over, there is no reason to look back. We have the opportunity to be great here and I’m trying to do my best here.”
The Warriors selected Klay with their eleventh overall pick in the 2011 draft and in his eleven seasons in that uniform he scored 19.6 points per game and averaged 3.1 threes made. He played first in Oakland and then in San Francisco, winning four NBA titles out of six Finals played. He is the sixth ever to score the most points with Golden State, fourth in games played and is also behind only Stephen Curry in triples scored. On December 5, 2016, he scored 60 points against Indiana in just 29 minutes of play and made an NBA record with his 14 three-pointers against the Chicago Bulls on October 29, 2018.
Now that we have arrived on the eve of his return to the Bay, he has continued to be cold regarding his career results:
“I keep the memories, but I want to move forward and win here.”
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In recent years, Golden State has rewarded Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins and also current Washington Wizards guard Jordan Poole with rich contract extensions. Klay Thompson, however, despite being eligible for an extension last year, did not reach an agreement with the franchise. He missed the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 seasons due to a torn ACL and then an Achilles tendon and last season he scored 17.9 points per game, his lowest average since the 2012-2013 season. After becoming an unrestricted free agent, he signed a three-year, $50 million contract with the Dallas Mavericks.
However, he doesn’t seem to have any regrets, he would if there was something that bothered him, but he responded with a simple:
”Nothing, to be honest. That’s the way things are.”
Last season Golden State lost in the play-in against the Sacramento Kings, while Dallas reached the Finals 13 years after the last time. Klay, in fact, left a team in decline for the one that won the Western Conference and came one step away from the ring. However, the Warrios have won 8 of 10 games and are at the top of the West along with OKC and Phoenix. Dallas, on the other hand, has a record of five wins and as many defeats. Thompson is the team’s third-leading scorer with 14.2 points per game.
Despite this, however, Klay is confident and is convinced that it can be a special season for Dallas:
“We have experience and the chance to win. I know we’re not doing well and we’re playing mediocre basketball, but the season is long and you have to be ready at the right time. We have the opportunity to become special.”
Curry, Klay and Draymond Green are among the most successful Big Three ever in the history of basketball and their 98 victories in the playoffs places them third in this special ranking. So is Thompson in contact with them?
”Not really, I’m focused. I’ll see them when the time comes, that’s all.”
Klay was well loved in the Bay for being simply unique. He threw paper airplanes with scores at the media after games, had a bulldog named Rocco and earned the name “Capitan Klay” after he arrived at Chase Center by boat crossing the entire San Francisco Bay. He also said that what he misses most from previous years is the water, but he doesn’t plan to drive his boat on Tuesday.
Golden State called the game”Salute Captain Klay”. Thompson will receive a one-minute video tribute, Stephen Curry will give a speech and all fans in attendance will receive a white captain’s hat with the Golden State logo. Even the coach Steve Kerr he expressed himself about it:
“I can’t wait, I think it’s going to be very exciting.”
It will also be the first game of the NBA In-Season Tournament and Klay Thompson said he is thrilled for the second edition of this tournament which will see the Final Four played in Las Vegas in December. Despite this, however, he is not particularly excited to return to the Bay: basketball is basketball.
