Mavericks' Kyrie Irving gives advice for Klay Thompson's Warriors Homecoming

The Dallas Mavericks play the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night. Although it is the first group game in the NBA Cup for both teams, the biggest storyline is Klay Thompson’s return to San Francisco to play against his former team.

Thompson spent 13 years with the Warriors, winning four championships and making five All-Star Games to cement a Hall of Fame resume, and emotions are sure to run high Tuesday night when he plays against his former team. His new All-Star teammate, Kyrie Irving, shared some advice on how to handle that Sunday after their game against the Nuggets.

“The biggest thing is just the human aspect of emotions,” Irving said at his post-game press conference on Sunday. “It’s just going to get messed up, man. You don’t know how to really feel because you’ve been in a routine with another team for a long time. You know everyone, from upper management to security, to every guy on the team, every guy you’ve had a conversation with, from game to game… You just start thinking about all those intentional moments where you spent time with people. who really want to win… Other than that, it’s just about having fun and being able to look some of your old fans in the face and say ‘thank you’, and they thank you in their own way too. You see it’s being handled differently by all of us… I just told Klay that we have his back, I repeat and confirm to him that it’s just another game on our road trip, but we know how much it means to (him) , and we will have to express our emotions as well.”

The Mavericks are Irving’s fourth team in his NBA career. They play for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets before being traded to Dallas, so he’s aware of homecoming games. He has struggled in games in Boston since leaving there and can help Thompson get through the nerves and emotions of a game like this.

Thompson has struggled in his last few games, making just two of his last thirteen attempts from three-point range. He wants to prove that the Warriors made a mistake by letting him go and hopes he can shoot better than he has recently.

Dallas and Golden State tip off around 9:00 PM CST on TNT.

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