[Beck] Klay Thompson: “I love it. I hope people keep doubting us. I saw somebody on the TV the other day talking about, The Warriors aren’t contenders because they’ve had a soft schedule. Buddy, we got the MVP, a defensive player of the year. That kind of disrespect bothers me…”

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No one saw this Warriors renaissance coming, certainly not this soon, not before Thompson could finish his two-year rehab from Achilles and knee surgeries and restore the greatest-shooting backcourt of all time. And no one is sure what to make of it. Skeptics are pointing to the Warriors’ home-heavy schedule, the dearth of quality opponents, the scarcity of proven talent around Curry, the miles on defensive maestro Draymond Green, the mystery of whether Klay Thompson is still Klay Thompson and casting doubts on the sustainability of it all.

“I love it,” Thompson told Sports Illustrated last week, through a defiant grin. “I love it. I hope people keep doubting us. I saw somebody on the TV the other day talking about, The Warriors aren’t contenders because they’ve had a soft schedule. Buddy, we got the MVP, a defensive player of the year. That kind of disrespect bothers me. We have so many champions, guys who have done it in the highest pressure moments, and you’re still gonna question our ability? I love it. But whatever. That’s what talking heads are paid to do.”

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Was the schedule soft? Sure. Is the hot start sustainable? Not even the Warriors can say for sure. But they like where they are. And they relish the skepticism.

“I’m like Arya from Game of Thrones,” Kerr quipped, alluding to the vengeance-minded assassin. “Like, I have all the names of the media members who picked us to be outside the playoffs, and I'm just checking off the box. Every time I see one of those guys, I give them a little glare, and they know what that means.”

To Kerr, it’s all an enjoyable interlude, a chance to be underdogs again, at least for the moment. But for Thompson—antsy from a two-year layoff, and still irritated at his exclusion from the NBA’s 75th Anniversary team—all the caveats and qualifiers are just signs of disrespect, an insult to the NBA’s one reigning dynasty.

“You see what we’re doing to start this year?” Thompson said, not as a question but as a statement of defiance. “And I’m not even out there yet. I’m just so excited.”