SAN FRANCISCO – This was not going to be an ordinary night, because Klay Thompson was no ordinary player, not with these Golden State Warriors.

He tapped his hand on his heart more than a few times, probably to calm himself after a tribute video and standing ovation that captured his run with the franchise: the championships, the moments, the playful exuberance that was the lifeblood of a dynasty .

Before that, Thompson was greeted by some 400 team and arena employees as he entered Chase Center on his return to the Bay Area, wearing “Captain Klay” boat hats in tribute to the shooting guard who often took the scenic route to games on his boat .

“It was really cool, really grateful that the employees gave me that kind of love,” Thompson said. “Totally unexpected and definitely put a smile on my face and something I will never forget. Kudos to the organization.”

Knowing Thompson as the world has become accustomed to, it was expected that he would struggle with the bubbling emotions he tried so hard to deny. But it was his partners in history who had to use some mind tricks to put themselves in the right frame of mind before competition arose.

Draymond Green watched the video earlier today so he could get the raw feelings out of his system. Stephen Curry took to the tunnel and captured just parts of those moments that are seared into the minds of those who witnessed the most unexpected dynasty in NBA history.

The newest Dallas Maverick had no such fortune and seemed genuinely moved by all that was ceremonial about the franchise. Even though the past few years have been difficult and the basketball world temporarily soured the relationship, the feelings still disappear – at some point.

It was more than the wins. So much had been crammed into those thirteen years — the Game 6 Klay, the ornery Klay, the player significantly impacted in his prime by two back-to-back debilitating injuries — that it could have been overwhelming.

Therefore, Green’s claim that he had “no emotion whatsoever towards Klay’s return” could only be said because of the methods he employed earlier in the day that perhaps helped him terrorize Dallas’ big men late in the 120-117 Golden State win.

When a player is going through marital problems with a franchise, it’s impossible to maintain perspective, especially when money and playing time are involved. But with some distance, everyone can realize exactly what Thompson and the Warriors went through together, beyond the numbers and business sentiments.

The plan for Curry to address Thompson in front of the crowd was scrapped by both in a text message Monday night, as both wanted to keep the focus on the court, and the Chase Center crowd did not need such a prompt to put Thompson on this to appreciate the moment. – not even from the Greatest Shooter Ever.

“It’s not about me, it’s about what he meant to the Bay Area, our franchise,” Curry said. “I think it was done very well from an organizational point of view. The fans did their thing, and me and Draymond got to be a part of that.

But the competition beckoned from the very first possession, an emotionally charged match. Thompson put Curry – pure competition in a way we couldn’t see from other players who were synonymous with each other.

“I’m surprised they made a post-up for him on the first play,” Curry said. “I blacked out, I didn’t want to let him score and I fouled him. I thought I was in training camp again and tried to make a stop.”

Magic Johnson never went to Byron Scott, Isiah Thomas never tried to cross Joe Dumars, Manu Ginobili never put his Eurostep on Tony Parker. Still, there was Thompson doing the Curry shimmy — a “terrible” imitation, we all later agreed — after hitting a 3 in the second quarter.

“It was an improvised thing,” Thompson said of the no-rhythm shimmy. ‘But when you feel it, you do things instinctively. So done before. I know Steph has done it many times. It was fun and playful to do, and he was a little surprised that I did it, but it was a great photo. Probably (will) still do it in the future. When I play loose, I play with my best brand of ball.”

Curry, as he hit his first triple with Thompson out as a relief defender, pointed to him on his way to the lane.

“There’s a lot of history, so you’re going to have a lot of back and forth,” Curry said. “Some of it was competitive, some of it was fun. Luckily we were able to focus on the game and just hoop and compete.

Thompson hit more than a few of his signature triples – six to be exact – and scored 22 points with four rebounds and three assists. Curry dominated the night with his usual heroics, scoring a season-high 37 with nine assists and six rebounds and hitting five triples to lead the Warriors to their come-from-behind victory.

It felt surreal all night, so much so that it eclipsed a fantastic basketball game played on the opening night of Year 2 of the NBA Cup. Neither Curry nor Thompson could look at each other during individual warmups.

And with the extra chatter and emotion during the match, you wondered if it was more than friendly competition, if it was some kind of heat between teammates simmering beneath the surface.

“When you play against someone you have a good relationship with, it makes you want to beat them even more,” Green said. “You want to play well against them even more. And it only increases the level of competition. You want to do great things.”

But it was two of the league’s fiercest competitors going at each other, because that’s what happens when two players really want it: it’s palpable but not personal. Curry was extra emotional, especially after his 12-0 flurry turned out the lights and gave the Warriors a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

He couldn’t remember what was said, but something along the lines of “this is my house” roared into the TNT cameras as he completed a 23-point second half.

“Yes, it hurts to be on the other end of one of his fits,” Thompson said. “Guy got hot at the end and made some ridiculous shots, and I’ve been on the other end, and it sucks.”

He had heard all the familiar sounds, from familiar people: the organ that accompanied the ‘defense song’, the ‘Let’s go Warriors!’ roars from the Bay Area faithful, Steve Kerr’s calls and Green’s barks.

Only they weren’t made to fascinate him. He was the enemy – a friendly one, not a mortal one.

He left via free agency, but he didn’t defect from the Bay. Thompson didn’t leave as a betrayal, and unlike the current free agency, the hard feelings seemed to be more with the player than the franchise – almost as if he would have to handle this entire saga on his own.

Yes, Kyrie Irving and head coach Jason Kidd have been in similar places, but nowhere near the exact spot where Thompson sat. The trio of Thompson, Curry and Green would ride off into the sunset, presumably retiring together.

But Thompson was the first to leave, the first to feel rejected by the franchise. On every banner in Chase Center, on every title won in Oakland, Thompson’s blood is as much as Curry’s and Green’s, a point they both readily admit.

Proud Thompson seems nowhere near peace, but perhaps this was a step toward acceptance. The Warriors (9-2) currently sit atop the Western Conference, while the Mavericks (5-6) are struggling and enter the season with real championship aspirations.

In a league where superstars change addresses so often, it’s difficult to sign them in retirement homes where their jerseys hang in the rafters, like Chris Paul and Paul George, for example.

Thompson is a warrior.

Maybe not on the transcendent level, but denying his value to the Warriors is foolish, and he will get his day — and as usual in today’s culture, one day a statue outside Chase Center.

“When all is said and done, and we all come back for ceremonies and unveilings, it will be more of an opportunity to really reflect,” Curry said. “This game helped because you can just understand what it feels like to actually see him on another team and return to the place he called home for so long.”

Thompson came off to start the fourth, and it looked like he would get some measure of revenge before Curry worked his magic. You can bet that there were times when Thompson could acknowledge that Curry was the best shooter of all time, but he could still legitimately feel like he was better.

And tonight he was, sometimes.

Just not all the time.

So as he walked off the floor to the jubilant crowd waiting for his daps and hugs to finish with his former team, they saluted him one more time. And again, before disappearing into the bowels of the arena, Thompson looked back at what he left behind – or what left him.