Klay Thompson’s emotional return to the Bay Area becomes a tribute to the fierce competition between friends

SAN FRANCISCO – This would be no ordinary night, because Klay Thompson was no ordinary player, not with these Golden State Warriors.

He slapped his hand over his heart more than a few times, probably to calm himself down after a tribute video and standing ovation that chronicled his journey with the franchise – the championships, the moments, the playful exuberance that was the lifeblood of one dynasty was.

Previously, Thompson was greeted by approximately 400 team and stadium employees upon his return to the Bay Area as he entered Chase Center. He wore “Captain Klay” boating hats, which paid tribute to the shooter who often took the scenic route to games on his boat.

“It was really cool, I’m really grateful to the staff for showing me that kind of love,” Thompson said. “Completely unexpected and definitely put a smile on my face and something I will never forget. Kudos to the organization.”

Knowing Thompson as the world is used to, 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 the story who had to use some mind tricks to get themselves in the right frame of mind before the competition began.

Draymond Green watched the video earlier in the day to get the raw emotions out of his system. Stephen Curry walked into the tunnel and captured just a portion of those moments etched 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 touched by everything ceremonial about the franchise. Although the last few years have been a grind and the business of basketball temporarily ruined the relationship, the feelings subside – eventually.

It was more than just the victories. So much had happened in those 13 years — the Game 6 Klay, the stubborn Klay, the player whose star player was significantly hampered by two debilitating injuries in a row — that it could be overwhelming.

So why Green said he “had no emotions about Klay’s return” can only be said because of the methods he used earlier in the day that perhaps helped him outsmart Dallas’ big men late in the 120-117 win Terrorizing Golden State.

When a player is going through a marital dispute with a franchise, it’s impossible to maintain perspective – especially when money and playing time are at stake. But with a little distance, anyone can see exactly what Thompson and the Warriors have been through together, beyond the numbers and business sentiments.

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 remain focused on the court and the crowd at Chase Center needed no such prompting at that moment to applaud Thompson not even from the greatest shooter of all time.

“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 perspective. The fans did their thing and me and Draymond got to be a part of it.”

But from the first possession the competition was on, an emotionally charged battle. Thompson posted Curry – pure competition in a way we haven’t seen from other players who are synonymous with each other.

“I’m surprised they did a post-up for him on the first play,” Curry said. “Then I lost consciousness, I didn’t want to let him score and I fouled him. I thought I was back in training camp trying to find a footing.”

Magic Johnson never beat Byron Scott, Isiah Thomas never tried to outwit Joe Dumars, Manu Ginobili never put Tony Parker under his spell. But still, Thompson made the Curry Shimmy — a “terrible” imitation that everyone later agreed on — after hitting a 3 in the second quarter.

“It was a spontaneous thing,” Thompson said of the shimmy, which lacked rhythm. “But when you feel it, you do things instinctively. So, I’ve done it before. I know Steph has done it many times. It was fun and playful and he was kind of surprised that I did it, but it was a great shot. It probably (will) continue to do so in the future. I play my best brand of ball when I play loose.”

After Curry shot his first three-pointer with Thompson as the help defender, he pointed at him on the way down.

“There’s a lot of history, so there’s going to be 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 play basketball and compete.”

Thompson hit more than a few of his trademark triples – six to be exact – while scoring 22 points with four rebounds and three assists. Curry dominated the night with his usual heroics, posting a season-high 37 with nine assists and six rebounds, hitting five triples and leading the Warriors from a deficit to victory.

It felt so surreal all night long that an amazing basketball game was obscured on the opening night of the second year of the NBA Cup. Neither Curry nor Thompson could look at each other during individual warmups.

And given the added conversation and emotion throughout the game, one wondered if it was more than just friendly competition, if there was some heat between teammates simmering beneath the surface.

“When you play against someone close to you, you want to beat them even more,” Green said. “You want to play well against them even more. And it just increases the level of competition. You want to do great things.”

But it was two of the league’s fiercest competitors going at each other, because that’s what happens when two players really want it – it’s palpable, but not personal. Curry was particularly emotional, especially after his 12-0 outing turned 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 yelled at the TNT cameras as he scored 23 points in the second half.

“Yeah, it hurts to be on the other side of one of his turmoils,” Thompson said. “The guy got hot at the end and took some ridiculous shots and I was on the other end and it sucks.”

He had heard all the familiar sounds from the familiar people – the organ accompanying the “Defense” chant, the “Let’s go, warriors!”, the roar of the Bay Area faithful, the shouts of Steve Kerr, and the barking of Green.

However, they weren’t there to give him a boost. He was the enemy – a friendly one, not a mortal one.

He left via free agency but did not leave the Bay. Thompson didn’t leave as a traitor, and unlike today’s free agency, the negative feelings seemed to lie more with the player than the franchise – almost as if he had to handle this entire saga alone.

Yes, Kyrie Irving and head coach Jason Kidd were in similar places, but nowhere near the exact spot where Thompson was. The trio of Thompson, Curry and Green should ride off into the sunset and probably retire together.

But Thompson was the first to go, the first to feel rejected by the franchise. Every banner at Chase Center, every title won in Oakland, has Thompson’s blood on it, as well as Curry’s and Green’s, which both readily admit.

The proud Thompson doesn’t seem nearly as peaceful yet, but perhaps this was a step toward acceptance. The Warriors (9-2) are currently at the top of the Western Conference, while the Mavericks (5-6) are struggling and entering the season with real championship aspirations.

In a league where superstars change addresses so often, it’s difficult to assign them to the retirement homes where their jerseys hang from the rafters, like Chris Paul and Paul George.

Thompson is a warrior.

Maybe not on the transcendent level, but denying his value to the Warriors is foolish, and he will get his day – and as is common in today’s culture, a statue in front of Chase Center one day.

“Later, when it’s all said and done and we all get back to ceremonies and unveilings, it will be more of an opportunity to really reflect,” Curry said. “This game helped because you can just understand what it feels like to actually see him on a different team and come back to the place he called home for so long.”

Thompson let loose early in the fourth and looked like he was going to get some revenge before Curry worked his magic. One can be sure that while Thompson could at times acknowledge that Curry was the best shooter of all time, he still rightly felt that he was better.

And that night, sometimes he was.

Just not always.

So as he walked from the floor toward the decorated crowd waiting for his closing hug with his former team, they saluted him again. And once again, before disappearing into the bowels of the arena, Thompson looked back at what he had left behind – or what had left him.