Monta Ellis didn’t watch the final regular-season game at Oracle Arena back on April 7. He doesn’t remember what he was doing that night, just that his phone was blowing up. Family members and friends were texting, relaying to him his most random return to the NBA spotlight.



Stephen Curry had been commemorating Oracle by wearing jerseys of former players to the final regular-season games. He started with Baron Davis’ No. 5 and followed with Stephen Jackson’s No. 1. Then came Andris Biedrins’ No. 15 and, after that, Tim Hardaway’s No. 10 jersey from the Run TMC days. For the final regular-season game at Oracle in Warriors history, and the culmination of what he called “Operation Honor The Goats of Oracle Arena,” Curry wore No. 8. He saved Monta Ellis for last.



“I think for me, in terms of representing him on the last game meant a lot, because we were in that backcourt together and obviously, when he was traded it...