Klay Thompson wanted a quiet Warriors homecoming, but a warm hug could help heal wounds

SAN FRANCISCO – Klay Thompson didn’t want any pomp and circumstance.

The warm welcome from approximately 400 Warriors employees who met him Tuesday on the Dallas Mavericks team bus and cheered him on as he walked to the visitors’ locker room in this familiar Chase Center. The sailor caps inspired by his passion for boating were worn by everyone from Warriors owner Joe Lacob to the rest of the sold-out crowd of 18,064 who ensured his incredible legacy was honored. Stephen Curry’s pregame speech was cut, as Thompson shared, when the Splash Brothers exchanged text messages the night before and decided to cut it from the script.

According to league sources, Thompson’s message to his old team heading into his night of celebration was that less was more. But the Warriors, determined to pay first-class tribute to the major role he played in their dynastic run, still pulled out all the stops. This reunion game, with the Warriors going to such lengths to honor the thirteen years of memories between them, was bound to be uncomfortably ironic.

Here you had Golden State officials trying so hard to show proper respect for its storied past, only to be met with a lukewarm response that served as a reminder that the perceived disrespect regarding its future was the primary cause of this . bitter basketball divorce. Unless Lacob found a way to put the two in a time machine and travel back to two summers ago, then committed to keeping the Warriors’ celebrated trio together by giving Thompson the same four-year, $100 million deal he gave to Draymond. Green, then these wounds had to remain open.

Or so it seemed.

Curry’s late flurry ruined Thompson’s plans for a revenge game. The Warriors won 120-117 after Curry buried the Mavs in video game form during those wildly entertaining final minutes. Yet it was quite clear that healing had taken place between both parties. And by the time Thompson took the stage after the game, having hit six threes on his way to 22 points but surely lamenting his missed three with 89 seconds left, the tone he had set behind the scenes was when he got into this emotional affair, changed. the better.

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“It was a really cool experience,” he said of the evening that included it a video tribute. “I really appreciate the fans. The captain’s hat ended up being a nice extra, because I’m such a passionate water sports enthusiast. I saw many familiar faces in the audience. That was a warm feeling. So it was really cool to see fans who were grateful for me, and that’s something that I don’t take for granted. It’s very, very wonderful.

“It was a cool moment to feel the energy of the fans, and especially, you know, all the chatter I heard – it was all positive. (That) just means a lot to myself because I really enjoyed my time here and … left it all on the ground.

The pre-game greeting from the staff in particular was a special touch that some around Thompson had hoped would be dropped from the program — like the Curry speech. But as Thompson later said, the gesture had the desired effect.

“That was really cool,” he said. “I am very grateful that the employees give me so much love. Totally unexpected and definitely put a smile on my face. It’s something I’ll never forget.”

Regardless of the context, Thompson’s willingness to share warm feelings about the Warriors organization marked a thawing of the icy situation in this relationship, which is only right given the entire history between them. In addition to the four titles, five All-Star appearances and countless good times in betweenthere was a special bond between Klay and the Bay that cannot be properly maintained if friction continues. And while the disagreement certainly remains over the way his contract situation was handled, with Thompson believing he should have received the same treatment as Green and the Warriors, pointing to his devastating string of injuries as justification for their more measured approach , the affectionate postgame scene showed signs of real reconciliation, which should only get better from here.

Thompson first hugged Warriors coach Steve Kerr and then was hugged by Curry. Next came longtime Warriors coach Rick Celebrini, then Andrew Wiggins, Trayce-Jackson Davis, Moses Moody, several staff members, Green, fellow Bahamian and his replacement, Buddy Hield, Warriors assistant Chris DeMarco, Gary Payton II and assistant coach Bruce Fraser. It’s unclear if Thompson was connected to Lacob, but it’s reaching a point in this post-Warriors saga where that kind of subplot doesn’t really matter anymore.

“The Warriors did a great job of honoring him,” said Mavericks coach Jason Kidd, a Bay Area native who attended Cal and knows the passion of these local fans well.

In other words, the Warriors mission accomplished with a win as they improved to an unexpected 9-2 mark.

Anyone who knows Thompson well knows that he probably didn’t sleep much after this event. Curry’s 37-point performance overshadowed Thompson’s dynamic evening, with No. 30 celebrating the win as if he were still on a gold medal march with Team USA instead of a mid-November NBA affair. Thompson left the venue feeling appreciated, throwing his headband on his way through the tunnel and into the stands before being greeted by a long line of admirers.

Andre Iguodala, his fellow Warriors legend and current executive director of the National Basketball Players Association, visited the Mavericks’ locker room before the game and also returned for a chat after the game. Warriors executive vice president of basketball operations Kirk Lacob was also waiting, as was former Warriors big man and current basketball-business liaison Zaza Pachulia.

As for Thompson, his thoughts inevitably turned to the next basketball challenge ahead. His Mavericks are now just 5-6, with this Luka Dončić-Kyrie Irving-Thompson trio still finding their feet amid an evenly matched Western Conference up for grabs. As nostalgia faded and all those Warriors years became irrelevant to the task at hand, he looked ahead.

“We’ve had four games this year that could have gone either way,” Thompson said. “This one really hurt, with a lead of seven (points) with four minutes to go. We’ll watch the movie and get better. But I’m really proud of how this team continues to fight. We’re still getting to know each other, and I keep telling the guys, it’s better to go through this stuff early in the season instead of Game 60. So I know we have a chance to be great. We just have to stay the course.”

Of course he would know. There’s a previous basketball life where his transcendent play led to an annual assault on the NBA’s mountaintop. The Warriors cherish those days and want to make sure they are not forgotten. And if Tuesday night was any indication, so does Thompson.

(Photo: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)