Steph Curry turned back clock with a distinct play-call in the Warriors’ 129-107 victory over the Utah Jazz on Monday and, unintentionally, brought the best out of Klay Thompson along the way.
On Tuesday’s episode of the “The Draymond Green Show,” the Warriors forward outlined Curry’s specific play-call at Delta Center that “unlocked” Thompson, taking him back to the early days of Golden State’s dynasty.
“Steph Curry made a very key call in the second half that I think really unlocked Klay,” Green said. “We ran this play [called] Oklahoma where it’s a double screen and then Klay goes in. Klay is the first screener. I’m the second screener.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
“Steph comes off both screens and then I pin in for Klay. And Klay came in and hit the three. He was like, ‘Yes!’ Like, crazy fist pump. Maybe it could have been a double. And from there, it was just kind of flowing for him.
“I thought that was a huge call by Steph. It’s also funny because I’m not even sure [Jonathan Kuminga] and [Andrew Wiggins] really even know what that play is.”
In Utah, the Warriors, powered by a game-high 26 points from Thompson, won by 22 points against a Jazz squad that now trails Golden State by 1.5 games in the Western Conference standings.
Golden State Warriors
Recently in the eye of the storm, Thompson’s performance served as a pivotal counter-argument to the narrative centered around the 34-year-old’s reliability as a marquee player within the Warriors rotation.
And of course it was going to take a blast-from-the-past moment to bring out the historic shooting capabilities of Golden State's guard.
“It’s like an old play that we had from way back in the day,” Green added. “And when Steph called it, he just said it to me. I’m like, ‘Klay! Klay! Come here, right here.’
“So, us three, we know we are running it and we just tell JK and Wiggs, ‘Hey, just go to the corner. Go to the corner.’ And we run the play, and I think that’s just funny because, No. 1, how long we’ve been playing together.
“Like, oftentimes, we will call a play that’s not really in the playbook this year but that we know. That we’ve run once upon a time. It’s always funny putting guys in positions that, obviously, haven’t been there all the years and just telling them, “Yo, go stand there.’ That was a little funny nugget from last night’s game.”
If Curry continues to call plays from the archives, will Thompson's resurgence continue?
A scenario like so would result in a Warriors side that continues to ascend in the West, and has no plans of stopping.