“I won’t say I’ll be rooting for him, but I’ll be watching him. The other 4 games we play him, I’ll be ready to go at him.” Stephen Curry had started to plan beforehand how he would deal with Klay Thompson on the D-Day. Having developed a partnership over the course of 13 years that earned them the moniker of ‘Splash Brothers,’ the same came to an end once Thompson left the Warriors during the 2024 offseason and teamed up with the Dallas Mavericks. While no longer being a Bay Area veteran, the shooting guard/small forward’s history with the Warriors and Curry still runs deep. Therefore, it made sense for some hesitance to exist prior to the recent Warriors-Mavericks matchup.

During the postgame presser, Steve Kerr was asked about his review of both Curry and Thompson’s pre-game mindsets. After all, the franchise had put out their own tribute for their former player. Everyone in the audience was given sailor hats, and a video was put out that paid tribute to the 34-year-old. Facing the Warriors as rivals for the first time in his NBA career, Klay Thompson certainly must have been going through different emotions. However, Kerr agreed when asked if Curry himself experienced a “jolt.” It certainly didn’t help when the player got to know that he would have to guard his ‘Splash Brother’ during the game.

“We did our pregame scout, and we went through the matchups, and it’s almost surreal saying ‘All right Steph, you got Klay.’ I mean, just…. and Steph smiled as soon as he saw the matchups. I looked over at him, and he smiled, kind of shook his head like ‘This is weird,’ you know,” said Kerr. “So, it was a strange night in that regard, but ultimately, it was a great, great night. Klay hit some big shots and, you know, 22 points, and made his mark on the game and um, obviously, we were thrilled to come away with the win and um, and then to see the emotion and the crowd and the love for Klay was fantastic.”

Kerr’s remarks came around the same time that Stephen Curry himself touched base on defending Thompson. The 36-year-old point guard revealed meeting Thompson on the court as a déjà vu moment. He stated, “I literally blacked out. I thought I was in Training Camp Again, where I was trying to get a stop. Draymond was actually calling me off for like, to call a bump, where you don’t want me guarding the post-up guy, and I go to the weak side. I heard him, but I didn’t hear him at the same time. That was a dumb fell. Uh, a weird way to start the game.”

It’s a good thing that Stephen Curry did not take up Draymond Green on his offer. He did not make any substitutions, nor took an alternate route to his playing style. Through this, the NBA All-Time Three-Point leader ended up delivering one of the best performances of the ongoing NBA season. Perhaps even his career. In the span of 35 minutes, he dropped 37 points, accompanied by 6 rebounds and 9 assists. He made the same possible by going 14-27 (51.9%) with his field goals, 5-12 (41.7%) with his three-pointers, and 4-5 (80%) with his free throws. Curry scored 12 of the points during clutch time, helping the Warriors take a close lead amidst the tight race that existed throughout the matchup.

The Warriors-Mavericks matchup was a sign that it may take time for things to become less awkward. Despite this, when both Curry and Thompson would descend onto the NBA court, there would be no mercy. Despite losing, Thompson made that fact clear too.

After stealing Stephen Curry’s iconic gesture, Klay Thompson revealed that he would do it again

During the 2nd quarter of the Mavericks-Warriors game, both teams were neck-to-neck. The men-in-blue-and-white were leading through a score of 42-39. Klay Thompson was making full use of his offensive prowess throughout the night. Once the ball came into his possession with 7 minutes remaining in the round, he took advantage. Being open and standing on the edge of the court, he dropped a memorable three-pointer to add to the Mavericks lead. Thompson added to his triumph by walking off whilst doing Stephen Curry’s iconic ‘Shimmy’ move. The Warriors star, who was sitting on the bench, couldn’t help but put out a smile.

During Klay Thompson’s postgame presser, the player revealed that the Shimmy was certainly an important thing. While Curry has done it numerous times, the now Mavericks star has also been no novice in its use. Thompson himself admitted to being surprised that he did it. However, his own shot seems to have impressed him quite a bit. As a result, he did not shy away from stating, “I’ll probably still do it in the future. I play my best brand of ball when I’m playing loose.”

The Thompson-Curry on-court rivalry passed its first round. As the regular season starts to close down, the intensity of competition will only increase. Therefore, the next time Curry and Thompson go head-to-head, that awkwardness may only end up being fragments of what it was during the recent game.