Even though the game featured two all-time legends in LeBron James and Stephen Curry, the slightly partisan crowd might have contributed to the lackluster atmosphere of the game, as there were a notable number of Warriors fans in the building.
Golden State’s fans are known to travel on the road. With San Francisco being just about five hours away from Los Angeles, they made sure to show up and support Thompson and the Warriors in an important late-season matchup.
Likewise, the bizarre ending may have also subsided what could have been an electric finish. For those who missed it, there was a shot clock malfunction that delayed the end of the game for about 20 minutes. The Lakers were in the midst of a furious comeback, but a series of referee reviews and shot clock issues led to several stoppages within the last two minutes that killed the flow and momentum of the game.
Before becoming a legendary member of the Warriors franchise, Klay Thompson ironically grew up a huge fan of the Lakers. Thompson’s dad, Mychal Thompson, played the latter portion of his career with the Purple and Gold and was part of the Lakers’ 1987 and 1988 championship squads.
In 2003, Mychal Thompson started working as a color commentator for the Lakers. With his family back in Los Angeles, a young Klay got the opportunity to watch Lakers games growing up. As he mentioned, he was also lucky enough to witness the classic 2010 NBA Finals series between the Lakers and archrival Boston Celtics.
Thompson has also shared several stories in the past about how his dad brought him to the Lakers’ locker room after games and how those instances of meeting players like Kobe Bryant became a norm of his childhood.
Nonetheless, Thompson was probably still delighted to see that a good chunk of the crowd on Saturday was there to support his current team. The Warriors need their fanbase to show up with the team still competing for playoff positioning in the Western Conference standings.