Before Friday’s game between the Warriors and the Toronto Raptors, Klay Thompson was on the court at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, working on a version of his pitch that lacked the jump part.
It was a vision that Warriors fans longed for. Watch half of the Splash Bros. footage. it is therapeutic for Dub Nation, and was painfully lost when Thompson recovered from a second consecutive leg injury at the end of the season.
But there was nothing calming about what happened when the Warriors and Raptors started playing. Without Steph Curry and Draymond Green, who were treating the wounds, the Golden State was attacked by Toronto, losing by up to 61 points – yes, sixty-one – and finally losing by 53 points, 130-77.
Although Curry and Green addressed their teammates after the recent defeats, it was Thompson whose voice was heard by some teammates after Friday’s game.
“It’s a hard pill to swallow,” veteran guard Kent Bazemore told reporters in a videoconference after the game. “You’re talking about [them] … and Klay. Klay was there, too. These guys have five consecutive appearances in the finals. This is in no way acceptable to them. It hurts them more than anything. Klay was fired after the game. These have been the two most difficult years of watching your guys out there and not being able to help, so I think I lit a fire under him, Steph and Draymond, they know how important they are to us. “
Bazemore, who had three points, three rebounds and a 15-minute assist, offered more about what Thompson was saying.
“He was talking about how he loses the game and it is not acceptable to lose that way,” said Bazemore. “He’s just excited. He’s excited, man. It’s hard to watch, regardless of whether you’re playing or not, just sitting there. As a competitor, you want to be out there … It’s hard to explain.”
Newcomer Nico Mannion is getting his first taste of the NBA, and there have been a few bitter sips. Although Thompson’s words were not directed at choosing the draft for the second round, Mannion was able to offer a little more context.
“I don’t know if I was around when Klay said something, so I really don’t know what the message was,” Mannion told reporters. “I heard that from [hallway] a little, just to speak, we need to have a little more heart, with which I agree 100 percent. “
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On 23-26, the Warriors risk losing the playoffs for the second consecutive season. They still have a chance to qualify for the Western Conference play-in tournament, but it still looks like it may not happen with the way they are playing.
All Thompson can do is watch. He is progressing in his rehabilitation of a torn Achilles tendon, but he will not be able to help the Warriors on the court this season.
It is up to Curry, Green, Bazemore, Mannion and the rest of the available Warriors to figure things out and turn the ship in the right direction.
If Thompson has to speak again before the end of the season, this is a sign that the Warriors are not back on track.