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They’ve been Warriors teammates for 10 seasons, locker teammates most of the time. Their lifestyles contrast, one a father, the other a relatively carefree bachelor. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson don’t have much in common.
But what they share is priceless, and they seem to know it.
“A lot of these are just our personalities,” Curry said on Saturday after the Warriors’ resounding victory over the Detroit Pistons at the Chase Center. “We really love the game. We love and appreciate what both of us – Draymond [Green] included – what we all bring to the equation, how different we are all.
“But we have the same common goal of just trying to win. And we’ve all found an identity in it, an appreciation for who we are as people too. Everything blends together. “
Curry-Thompson’s chemistry was visible on Saturday night, when Thompson conducted a post-game interview (to use the word lightly) with Curry after Golden State crushed Detroit.
Sacked following Achilles tendon surgery, Thompson was on hand as a temporary correspondent for NBC Sports Bay Area. He spent a quarter with announcers Bob Fitzgerald and Kelenna Azubuike, then took on the primary assignment of interviewing Curry.
They were laughing before a question was asked.
Thompson: “Steph, what’s going on man? I haven’t seen you for a while.
Curry, laughing: “What’s up, man?”
When Thompson asked Curry to be blinded and punched in the head by a pass from Draymond Green – a fun sight indeed – Curry responded by saying it happened with the Warriors’ high volume of passing. Thompson agreed.
“We call that ‘ball head’,” said Curry. “I have ‘Spalding’ here on the side of my forehead.
They continued for about a minute or so, with Thompson asking Curry to predict when he will overtake Ray Allen and become the all-time leader in creating 3 points. Thompson also asked Curry which of their fathers was the best color commentator, Dell Curry with the Charlotte Hornets or Mychal Thompson with the Los Angeles Lakers.
It was said that Saturday was Mychal’s birthday, Curry shouted a ‘Happy Birthday’ but chose his father, in defiance of Thompson’s disgust, who took off his helmet and walked down the stairs … for first bump Curry as he left the pitch.
They never stopped smiling, except for laughing, then they walked side by side towards the locker room.
It’s not Kyrie Irving and LeBron James winning a championship in Cleveland and having an uncomfortable breakup a year later. It’s not James Harden and the revolving door of stars that the Houston Rockets have brought in, seeking and failing to find the right complement. It wasn’t the sometimes uncomfortable alliance of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons in Philadelphia, nor the Chris Paul-Blake Griffin dynamic that led to the collapse of the Los Angeles Clippers a few years ago.
Curry and Thompson are more like Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen – but with a distinctly stronger emphasis on humor. As usual.
“I don’t think he knows how funny he is,” Curry, the team’s No.1 prankster, said of his fellow Splash Brother. “That’s the best part about it. It’s just who he is. He doesn’t even try.
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All of that joy is easier with the success of the Warriors and the roles Curry and Thompson played in it. Curry is a six-time All-Star, and Thompson has formed five All-Star teams. They have gone to five straight NBA Finals, winning three.
And neither has cast a subtle shade at the other, let alone tried to force a breakup.
“We get sick of each other sometimes,” Curry conceded. “And it’s good to get away from it all and all that kind of healthy relationships.
“But at the end of the day, it’s the chemistry we’ve built and the identity we’ve built over those many years. And when you win at the highest level, obviously they just get stronger. I feel blessed to have that vibe and then bring other guys into the fold who can kind of experience that too. It’s pretty awesome. “
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