Warriors' Klay Thompson fires back at unnamed source in ESPN story

OAKLAND – So much for Klay Thompson being the understated one in the Golden State Warriors’ bunch.

Thompson, who broke out of his media shell during the NBA Finals four months ago when he locked verbal horns with the Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James, came to the defense of his team on Friday in the wake of an ESPN story about Warriors forward Draymond Green

In the piece, which detailed the sometimes-difficult dynamic between Green and his Warriors’ teammates and coaches, an anonymous team official was quoted as saying, “The guys might be frustrated by his antics, but they had an opportunity to prove themselves without him in Game 5 (against the Cavs when Green was suspended) and they played like a bunch of (cowards).”

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Thompson, his voice rising and his arms animated, clearly took exception to it.

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“How are you not going to put your name to that quote?” he began. “It’s easy to point at someone and call them a coward, behind a shade or a shield you know? But why don’t you put your name to it, and then you can call us cowards. That’s fine. You can tell us that.

“But to say we played like cowards, and you’re not going to quote the guy who said it? That’s weak to me…That actually got under my skin, because I’m like, ‘You call us cowards but you’re not going to put your name to the (quote)?’ You know what I mean? You’re not going to quote who said it, just going to say ‘Oh, some executive said we’re cowards?’ Get out of here. That made me mad.”

Green’s leg kick in James’ direction in Game 4 led to the suspension, with the Warriors – who led the series 3-1 at that point – falling 112-97 in Game 5 en route to their collapse.

“We played our hearts out that whole playoffs, the whole season, and then you’re going to call us cowards and not put your name on it,” Thompson said. “Get out of here.”

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