As the Warriors' charter plane soared above America Tuesday, Draymond Green, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson were in their usual spots, sitting at the same table together like they’ve done for the past decade.
Golden State president/general manager Bob Myers was walking through the aisle and he had to stop and marvel at the seemingly mundane situation.
“Bob walked past us and he's like, ‘Man, y'all are funny, y'all still sit together,” Draymond Green said. “‘Y'all don't understand, it's 10 years. Like this, does not happen. Guys still sitting together at the same table.’ He's like, guys not even on the same team for 10 years, let alone still sitting there at the same table and enjoying each other's conversation and presence.’”
Imagine that, just three Hall of Famers sitting around a small table in an airplane, playing cards and dominoes. Speaking of bones.
“I owe Draymond some money in dominoes,” Klay said smiling, “so I don't want to see him too many times.”
It sounds like Drayond and Myers took a trip down memory lane as the plane made its way to Logan International Airport in Boston. After all they’ve been through this season – let alone the past decade – there’s a lot to talk about these days. All three stars overcame injuries and played just five quarters together in the regular season. So many questions swirled about the Warriors patching it together in the playoffs, but you can’t get rid of that championship DNA.
Not that Klay was in the mood for nostalgia during Tuesday’s flight.
“I was half asleep,” Thompson said. “Draymond and Bob were chatting their hearts away for six hours on a plane ride. I was just trying to get some sleep. Good times.”
Classic Klay. Good times, indeed.
This isn’t just some ordinary business trip to Boston. If all goes according to plan, it’ll be the last in-season plane ride of the year. The Warriors are hoping the return trip to San Francisco is a six-hour celebration with the Larry O’Brien trophy in the cabin. One more win against the Celtics in Game 6 of the NBA Finals Thursday night and they’ll make it a reality.
With their 20th playoff win together in Game 5, the trio surpassed the San Antonio Spurs’ Hall of Fame trio of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili for the most wins by a trio since 1988.
Dray, Klay and Steph are setting the contemporary standard.
“This journey wouldn't be the same without those two guys, and Andre (Iguodala), as well,” Green said. “Andre has been along the ride with us pretty much this entire time as well. I couldn't imagine sharing this journey with anyone else. You know, we built this thing from the ground up, and when you build something from the ground up, that's your baby, and I think for us, we all appreciate each other and we understand what each of us bring to the table. It stretches far past what we have accomplished on the basketball court. You're talking bonds, those bonds will last forever. We are linked and connected together forever.”
Draymond can be fiery and bull-headed. Steph is the humble, everyman superstar who likes to keep the mood light. Klay is one-of-a-kind, authentic and always brings a unique perspective to any situation.
What they have in common is an elite competitiveness and standard they bring to the office every day, which has completely transformed the culture of the franchise.
Steph is 34 now, Dray and Klay are 32. Steph and Draymond each have three kids that are getting bigger by the day. Things have changed immensely since they were baby-faced 20-somethings reforming the entire NBA landscape.
You could see the first cracks of greatness in their first NBA playoff run together in 2013. Six finals trips and three rings later, they’re on the precipice of a fourth title, an accomplishment only 40 players can claim in NBA history.
One day, all three guys will have a statue out front of Chase Center.
“All the personalities are so different,” Curry said. “Everybody comes from different backgrounds. But we've all jelled around a collective unit of how we do things, whether it's in the locker room, on the plane, the hotels, like whatever it is. We know how to have fun and jell and keep things light, but also understand what we're trying to do and why it all matters in terms of winning games.”
This isn’t a time to stop and smell the roses, just yet. The Celtics are completely capable of winning two games in a row and snatching the title from Golden State’s grasp.
“To know we've been on this journey for 10 years, it's such a special thing,” Green said. “The ten-year anniversary if you will, to be in this position is great, and saying that, still one win away. So as special as it is, there's a way to cap this off, it's coming in with the right focus and intensity level tomorrow and being ready to try to close this thing out.”
