Morning shootaround — May 31

No. 1: Curry, Warriors complete their comeback story— Just days ago, the Oklahoma City Thunder were one mere victory away from their first Finals trip in four seasons. But the Thunder never could get win No. 4 in the Western Conference finals and fell in Game 7 last night, allowing the Golden State Warriors to become the 10th team ever in NBA history to win a series after falling behind 3-1. Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical has more on how Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and the Warriors etched their name in NBA lore and reached a second straight NBA Finals:

For Curry to flourish in the middle of it all Monday night at Oracle Arena – to close out a 96-88 victory with 15 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter – had been because Curry never let Klay Thompson believe the Splash Brothers no longer existed. Curry could’ve transformed one of the great individual seasons seasons ever – a unanimous MVP performance – and separated himself into a singular entity.

“Steph does not care about getting all the attention,” Draymond Green told The Vertical late Monday night. “Without Klay, there’s not that much success here. He’s always made sure that people understood: It’s about us, it’s not about me. That’s why this team is successful, because that our guy, that’s how he sees things.”

Curry needed middle relief in this series, and Thompson delivered it for him. Golden State never would’ve gotten out of Oklahoma City, out of Game 6, without Thompson’s 41 points. He was the hero. “What Klay did was [put] us on his shoulders and allow us to have this opportunity at home,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr said.

…

When the Warriors’ backcourt started together five years ago, Curry and Thompson were a true partnership. On the night Golden State traded Monta Ellis to Milwaukee, Thompson remembers Curry telling him: It’s you and me now. The Splash Brothers were born.

And as these past two years unfolded, it appeared to matter far less that Thompson had become a two-time All-Star guard – only because Curry had become a two-time MVP. This year, the term Splash Brothers had never been heard so less. And yet if that was the narrative outside the Warriors, it never became the reality within them.

Three weeks ago, Curry made his comeback from an MCL knee sprain. He had missed games in the series against the Houston Rockets and Portland, and struggled for most of Game 4 against the Trail Blazers. As it turned out, his closing performance transcended the moment: 17 points in overtime, an NBA record. Everyone swooned over Curry, only to find him swooning over someone else.

Before Curry left the podium that night, he leaned into the microphone and answered a question that no one had posed to him: Hey, what a series Klay Thompson has had for us, he told everyone. Big shots, big makes and chasing Damian Lillard everywhere on defense.

“I called him later, and told him, ‘That’s great leadership,’ ” Warriors GM Bob Myers told The Vertical on Monday night.

When the Warriors were down 3-1, Myers delivered Curry a gentle reminder. “Your body language matters,” the GM told him. “People are watching you.”

…

This was some scene in Oracle on Monday night, a culmination of a conference finals comeback the NBA hadn’t seen since the Boston Celtics survived the Philadelphia 76ers in 1981. The Cleveland Cavaliers are on the way for an NBA Finals rematch on Thursday night, only this time LeBron James is bringing a healthy Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. Curry will need everyone on these Warriors, need them all, and that includes the full force of the Splash Brothers.

“When you’re down, like we were, the fabric of the team is easier to see,” Myers told The Vertical. “You see it when you hit some adversity. When you could splinter, and you don’t, well, that’s where you see the connectedness of the team.”

For these Golden State Warriors, it still begins and ends with Steph Curry. The Warriors had his back in these Western finals, because he’s always had theirs. In the end, the MVP stood in the middle of Oracle Arena and let the love wash over him, pounding his chest, screaming into the Bay Area night. Together, they had done it. Together, the Warriors had survived. Still standing, still champs.

***

No. 2: Buss says Jackson committed to Knicks — Los Angeles Lakers executive Jeanie Buss and former Lakers coach Phil Jackson have been a couple since 1999 and the two got engaged in 2013. But Jackson has been serving as the president of the New York Knicks since 2014, leading to some speculation that Jackson might someday soon leave the Big Apple to be in L.A. not only with Buss, but to return to the Lakers. In an interview with ESPN Radio, Buss says that couldn’t be further from the truth, writes Ian Begley of ESPN.com:

Los Angeles Lakers co-owner Jeanie Buss says that Phil Jackson, her fiancé and the president of the Knicks, will not be leaving New York to rejoin the Lakers.

“No. To visit, yes … but in terms of basketball, he’s committed to New York for many years,” Buss said Monday on ESPN Radio’s Beadle and Shelburne Show. “He’s building something there. He has a mission, he’s on that journey to get the team back to where he believes it can be and it will be. He’s a former Knick … he loves New York, he loves the fans, he wants to make them proud.

“In terms of the Lakers, we have a front office. They’re putting together a team … they have a vision. I’m excited to see what the future holds for us. So, to answer your question … no, there’s no plans for Phil to come back here.”

Jackson has three seasons remaining on his five-year deal with the Knicks. Speculation about Jackson’s potential return to Los Angeles will likely continue because his contract contains an opt-out clause after the 2016-17 season, according to ESPN’s Chris Broussard.

…

Buss also addressed her brother Jim Buss‘ public stance on stepping down if the Lakers aren’t one of the top teams in the Western Conference in two to three seasons. The stance taken by Jim Buss, the Lakers’ executive vice president of basketball operations, has fueled speculation that Jackson will leave New York for a management role with the Lakers some time in the near future.

“We talked about it as a family,” Jeanie Buss said Monday of Jim Buss’ stance. “My brother spoke about it publicly. It is something that I think he’s very sincere in when he says that if he can’t get this team to where we’re competitive, being in the playoffs, second round, competing for the Western Conference final.

“He would feel that he isn’t living up to the job that my father left to him, and he [Jim] made it clear if he couldn’t do the job that he would step aside and make sure that somebody would come in and do that because that’s how much he loves the Lakers. That’s how much my family loves the Lakers.”

***