Why Klay deserves all the love from Warriors fans in return for Chase

Why Klay deserves all the love from Warriors fans in return for Chase originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

• Program Note: Watch “Warriors Now” with Zena Keita and Monte Poole live streaming today at 4:00 pm PT at Chase Center NBC Sports app. Watch the show later YouTube And Facebook.

No matter how deep you delve into NBA history, you won’t find a more decorated teammate tandem than Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, the two pillars of the remarkable Chicago Bulls dynasty that won six championships.

Jordan and Pippen were great individually, but incredible as a duo. Although their offense was outstanding, it was their role as lead dogs on Chicago’s famed “Doberman” defense that formed the backbone of these teams. Michael and Scottie, all arms and legs and sinewy athleticism, spent 691 games terrorizing opposing offenses.

Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, who also formed a symbiosis, spent 666 games doing the same to opposing defenses as Golden State Warriors teammates.

Just as there has never been a pair of wings as threatening as Jordan and Pippen, there has never been a pair of guards more suited to abuse defense than the pair nicknamed the “Splash Brothers.”

That’s one of several reasons Thompson deserves the warmest welcome Tuesday night when he takes on Curry and the Warriors at Chase Center as a member of the Dallas Mavericks. Curry is Golden State’s undisputed franchise player, No. 1 on the list of standouts, but Klay’s presence was a major factor in Steph reaching that stature.

Simply put, each reached their peak largely due to the existence of the other.

The Warriors are planning an elaborate celebration of Thompson’s Golden State career, with every fan who enters the building given a captain’s hat, as Klay often did on the boat he sometimes used to commute to practices and games. The cap will feature a Warriors logo. Curry will wear such a hat and take it off at some point to signal to every fan to do the same.

There will be the perfunctory tribute video, which is expected to last about a minute. Maybe it should be a minute and 11 seconds — a nod to Thompson’s jersey number, No. 11, and when he was selected 2011 NBA draft.

Truth be told, though, the Warriors could easily fill Chase by producing and screening an entire hour of video that features nothing more than highlights from Curry and Thompson’s careers. Their source of symbiotic excellence, set to music, elicited shivers, tears and golden memories of what was.

And that may never be the case again, because Curry is a generational talent and Thompson is a gorgeous shooter whose hot streaks surpassed even his longtime partner’s accomplishments. Thompson with a record 37 points in a quarter on 13 of 13 shooting, including 9 of 9 from long range – another record. Klay holds the single-game record of 14 triples, breaking a record previously held by Curry – who provided Thompson’s 14th assist.

Fans often wonder about the on-court chemistry between Draymond Green and Curry, as evidenced by Draymond’s 611 assists on Steph’s 3-pointers. The only duo with a higher total number of teammates in the 21st century? Curry to Thompson, with 622.

There have been a lot of great NBA backcourts. Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars of Detroit. Bob Cousy and Sam Jones from Boston. Walt Frazier and Earl Monroe from New York. Jerry West and Gail Goodrich of the Lakers. More recently, San Antonio’s Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. Ten men, all in the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame, and none of them appeared as teammates in five consecutive All-Star Games – and reached the NBA Finals in all five seasons.

This accomplishment is unique for Golden State’s two future Hall of Famers.

11 years ago, then-Warriors head coach Mark Jackson made a bold statement about Curry and Thompson that caused a stir at Planet Hoops.

“In my opinion, they are the best backcourt players in the history of the game,” Jackson said in April 2013.

Curry had turned 25 a month earlier. Klay had turned 23 two months earlier – and only had one full season as a starter. They were ridiculously young to receive such high praise from someone like Jackson, a point guard who played 17 years in the NBA, is sixth on the career assists list and was an All-Star in 1989.

Jackson’s words, seen by some as artificial exaggeration, have become gospel. There is no argument. In fact, Curry-Thompson’s backcourt is the best to ever do it together, and not just on offense. They took a franchise from ordinary to iconic and became global celebrities.

Thompson came to the Bay Area 13 years ago after graduating from Washington State University. In his second season, he became a full-time starter alongside Curry. He grew into a great, a Warriors legend and a Bay Area sports icon.

Stand for Klay. Greetings Klay. Cheer for Klay. When he hugs Steph before he gets the news, he lets him know that Dub Nation will always love him despite his awkward exit.

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