The Warriors – most notably Stephen Curry and Draymond Green – lost their composure in their Game 6 loss to the Cavaliers last night.
One Golden State player who remained relatively calm: Klay Thompson.
How did he do it? He removed himself from the situation entirely.
When the Warriors drew a foul in the final seconds, Thompson left the bench and went to the locker room during the free throws. ABC cameras showed him 19 seconds of real time before the game ended, and he was already well into the bowels of the arena.
In the grand scheme, it’s not a humungous deal. But there are players who would be put through the ringer – cough, LeBron James – for doing that. Thompson literally abandoned his teammates who were stuck wallowing in their own misery in front of a jubilant crowd. No Warrior wanted to be there at that moment, but they had to be (at least beyond Curry, who got ejected for his tirade).
Thompson should have waited. End of the world? No. But he should have waited. If there’s ever a time to show you’re teammates you’re all in this together, that was it.