Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob says he wants the Splash Bros. — Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson — to stay with the franchise "forever." Lacob, speaking with ESPN following the Warriors' series-clinching win over the Houston Rockets on Friday night, said, "Obviously, my intention is to keep them as part of our organization forever. That's our goal. We'll see what happens." With Kevin Durant sidelined with a calf injury, Curry overcame a foul-plagued and cold-shooting first half to erupt for 33 second-half points to move the Warriors one step closer to a third consecutive NBA title. Thompson added 27 points — including seven 3-pointers — in the 118-113 Game 6 victory. Lacob's comments matter — not so much for Curry, who signed a five-year, $201 million deal two summers ago. But for Thompson. The five-time All-Star is set to become a free agent this summer (along with Durant and DeMarcus Cousins), and he'll be one of the most sought-after players on the market. Thompson has said he wants to be a "Warrior for life," but the contract Lacob offers him figures to play a role in his decision. As of right now, it sounds like Lacob is willing to pay up to keep the star shooting guard around for good. Making the grass even greener for Warriors fans, Thompson and Lacob shared a special moment in the final minute Friday's win after Thompson drained a 3-pointer to give the Warriors a six-point lead. Thompson pointed at Lacob with a smile, and Lacob pointed back. "We've had a few of those (moments)," Lacob said, per ESPN. "I have a special bond with him. I always have. He's the first player, since I bought the team, that we drafted. The very first one. And I just have always felt an incredible attachment. People make fun of me a little bit — I always say I love Klay. I love Klay. I just do. He's so real. He's so real. There's no B.S. And there's something about him, I have a very special relationship with him."<doc-sep>A report this week that free agent to be Klay Thompson is unhappy getting the “crumbs” behind Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant set off a familiar dance. One we seem to do annually. First, the player denies it, as Thompson did. Then someone from the organization, in this case Steve Kerr, comes out and says they plan to keep him. Then finally owner Joe Lacob, the guy who has to cut the checks — including a big one to the league for the luxury tax — comes out and says he will pay to keep the team together. Right on cue, Lacob spoke with Nick Friedell of ESPN about his dynamic backcourt of Thompson and Curry. “Obviously, my intention is to keep them as part of our organization forever,” Lacob told ESPN. “That’s our goal. We’ll see what happens.” Later Lacob added this about Thompson. “I have a special bond with him. I always have. He’s the first player, since I bought the team, that we drafted. The very first one. And I just have always felt an incredible attachment. People make fun of me a little bit — I always say I love Klay. I love Klay. I just do. He’s so real. He’s so real. There’s no B.S. And there’s something about him, I have a very special relationship with him.” Thompson will have options this summer, teams from New York to Los Angeles (a couple of them in both of those markets) would have interest in his services. When Thompson hit the game-sealing three in Game 6 in Houston with :36 seconds left, Thompson pointed at Lacob after the shot. On Twitter, people wanted to make that Thompson telling Lacob “pay me my money,” although Thompson said it was just living in the moment. Thompson will get paid. Sources have told NBCSports.com all season that Thompson would stay if the Warriors max him out, and that Lacob and management plan to do exactly that. If what Thompson wants is more touches, we’ll just have to see what happens with Kevin Durant’s free agency before making any predictions. However, if he leaves — and that is an “if” still — a lot of shots just opened up. Either way, we know the dance of words with Thompson, now it will just come down to actions on July 1.<doc-sep>Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob is no dummy. Kevin Durant has been identified as a wantaway. Draymond Green is an exceptional leader, and a jack of all trades, but not entirely irreplaceable. Boogie Cousins, well he's just an expensive luxury for the organization, is he not? That leaves the Warriors owner with two untradeable bargaining chips: Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, otherwise known by their "Splash Brothers" moniker. According to ESPN, Lacob wouldn't have it any other way. In fact, the happy owner has every intention of retaining their services for as long as humanly possible, even if it means, spending over the cap for the rest of time. "Obviously, my intention is to keep them as part of our organization forever," Lacob informed ESPN. "That's our goal. We'll see what happens." Ezra Shaw/Getty Images Obviously, if given the chance to retain Kevin Durant, he'd do it in a heartbeat. But say, he were to walk in free agency as the insiders have predicted, the Warriors would be in a better position to ward off interest in Klay Thompson. There are two determinants here: first off, the Warriors are the only team that can offer him a supermax contract worth close to $221 million over X-amount of years. Secondly, Klay Thompson has publicly that re-signing in Golden State is his primary interest. For the time being, let's all just enjoy this playoff basketball. In the Summer months, NBA content becomes a woeful exercise in number-crunching, so let's enjoy this playoff-run while it lasts. [Via]<doc-sep>Ayesha Curry is getting support from her husband, Stephen, following the buzz –and backlash – stemming from her appearance on "Red Table Talk" Monday. The Golden State Warriors basketball player shared his praise on his Instagram Story early Friday. "proud of you for being authentic and Putting yourself out there – not being afraid of potential bull s#*# and nonsense that could and did come at you," read text over a photo of the couple married since 2011. "Way more positive than negative with all of this. Keep being you. I love you.” Curry, a cookbook author and TV host, opened up on the Facebook Watch series hosted by Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith and Adrienne Banfield-Norris about her self-doubt stemming from a lack of male attention. She took to Instagram with her thoughts Wednesday. "I have never been one to cage my feelings and emotions to any capacity," she captioned a photo of herself tossing a pair of Spanx into a "Marie Kondo-Esque" bin. "I am human. It brings me pure joy to speak my mind, be vulnerable at times and to know myself inside and out." Noting that May is Mental Health Awareness Month, Curry said she wanted "to encourage everyone to speak their truth regardless of perception, fitting into a mold or offending someone, because it’s YOUR truth. And that’s okay! "If what I’m not afraid to say out loud about being a 30yr mama of 3 helps another woman like me feel like they’re not the alone and not the only one with an insecurity (because we ALL have them, don’t play) then that makes all of this hoopla worth it," she continued. "If you get a chance to watch the actual ('Red Table Talk') and not the headlines and rumors please do! "There is so much more depth to the talk and our family is grateful to @jadapinkettsmith for giving us the opportunity to bond together," she added. "As women let’s continue to uplift, empower and not suppress and compress our feelings and thoughts, as fleeting as some of them may be 😏. "Love to you all!" she said in conclusion. "Go FIND YOUR JOY and SPEAK YOUR TRUTH unapologetically." On "Red Table Talk," Curry opened up about how it makes her feel when women fawn over her husband. "Something that really bothers me, and honestly has given me a sense of a little bit of an insecurity, is the fact that yeah, there are all these women, like, throwing themselves (at him), but me, like the past 10 years, I don't have any of that," she said. "I have zero – this sounds weird – but, like, male attention, and so then I begin to internalize it, and I'm like, 'Is something wrong with me?' " Pinkett Smith admitted she "dealt with that for years, too" when she was younger. "I don't want it," Curry added, "but it'd be nice to know that, like, someone's lookin'." "You're beautiful," Pinkett Smith reminded her guest. "Don't ever think for one minute that it ain't no some men out there looking at you like, 'I wish.' And I'mma tell you who knows that more than anybody: Your husband." More:Ayesha Curry: Secret to long marriage to Stephen Curry is putting him first, not kids More:Ayesha Curry shuts down Instagram critic for talking about her daughter's hair Naturally, Twitter had opinions. "A holy woman like Ayesha want attentions from the dogs?" a tweet read. "Ayesha is married to a great man that she has kids with ... but Is worried bout not getting male attention," a person wrote, adding a confused emoji. Others agreed with her. "I don’t look for the attention of other men but it is nice knowing like 'damn, I still got it' regardless of if I have a man or not," revealed one person. Want news from USA TODAY on WhatsApp? Click this link on your mobile device to get started "Having strangers compliment you make you feel good every now and then," another wrote. "I’m in a secure relationship but others acknowledging me being pretty or smart makes me feel good" Some came to Curry's defense. "People hating Ayesha Curry for admitting how she feels is (expletive) backwards to me," read one post. "We’re all insecure in some area. She shouldn’t be getting crucified for telling her truth." "I can’t believe you guys are still talking about Ayesha. Leave the girl alone," one person tweeted. "Let her express herself and however she’s feeling," another posted. On Facebook, a user wrote: "Don’t worry we are looking but giving respect to your man because we love him !! But you are super hot !!" "Ayesha, you are a beautiful girl, focus on the inside and don’t worry about who notices, the RIGHT people, will notice you," commented another. "And the ones that matter. Beautiful family. Thank you for your honesty." More:Ayesha Curry got a breast lift after becoming a mom: 'A Kit Kat wasn’t going to fix this'<doc-sep>
Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob wants to keep Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson with the organization for the entirety of their NBA careers, Lacob told ESPN on Friday. Lacob emphasized his desire to ensure that the two stars never leave the team following the Warriors' 118–113 series-clinching Game 6 win over the Houston Rockets. Curry and Thompson combined for 60 points in that outing to lead the Warriors to their fifth straight Western Conference finals appearance. "Obviously, my intention is to keep them as part of our organization forever," Lacob said. "That's our goal. We'll see what happens." Thompson is set to become a free agent at the season's end and is expected to earn a maximum contract. While NBA protocol forbids him to publicly state whether or not he will give Thompson a full max extension, Lacob made it clear he hopes to keep Thompson with Golden State. "I have a special bond with him. I always have," Lacob said of his relationship with Thompson. "He's the first player, since I bought the team, that we drafted. The very first one. And I just have always felt an incredible attachment. People make fun of me a little bit—I always say I love Klay. I love Klay. I just do. He's so real. He's so real. There's no B.S. And there's something about him, I have a very special relationship with him." The Warriors will face either the Trail Blazers or the Nuggets in this year's Western Conference finals for a chance to play in their fifth-straight NBA Finals.