No amount of diplomatic responses can change the fact that Klay Thompson's first game against the Golden State Warriors means a great deal for all involved. The new member of the Dallas Mavericks won four championships with the franchise and comprised what many consider to be the greatest backcourt of all-time. It is surreal for fans to be watching him face his longtime Splash Brother Stephen Curry. For the players themselves, though, it is nostalgic.

“Just like training camp and practice in the old days,” Curry said, via ClutchPoints, when asked how it feels guarding Thompson. “Obviously, the crowd knows what's up… We were looking forward to this game, but once we got through that first possession, it was just like basketball as usual.”

Curry, Thompson and Draymond Green are the three men most synonymous with the Warriors franchise. They have shared countless memories together during their respective Hall of Fame careers. Despite Thompson's efforts to downplay the magnitude of this reunion, which also serves as the opening NBA Cup matchup for both Golden State and Dallas, his return is undoubtedly special.

His outward professionalism is likely battling the internal emotions he feels after stepping foot in the Chase Center to face the team to which he dedicated 13 years of his life. Competing against the man he will inextricably be linked to in the annals of basketball history must be a strange experience, to say the least.

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Neither Stephen Curry nor Klay Thompson are letting the occasion stunt their competitive drive. They are each trying their hand at gamesmanship in Tuesday night's clash. Curry pointed at Thompson after drilling a 3-pointer over him, and the latter pulled out No. 30's signature shimmy celebration after making his own triple. A friendly rivalry is exactly what the NBA-watching world wants between these two sensational shooters.

Of course, Thompson's relationship with the organization is a bit more complicated. The five-time All-Star feels like he was undervalued last season, and thus has extra motivation to showcase the impact he can still have in this league. Helping the Mavericks topple the Warriors on his big night in an NBA Cup setting might get that point across a little easier.