Sam Amick

USA TODAY Sports

OAKLAND – Rocco was waiting.

As anyone who knows Klay Thompson will tell you, there’s nothing the Golden State Warriors shooting guard loves more than spending time with his favorite English Bulldog (reading the USA TODAY Sports section before games, as it turns out, may be a close second). Yet still, with their daily walk having to wait on a recent Bay Area afternoon, the 26-year-old Thompson paid a visit to the NBA A to Z podcast after practice at the team’s training facility.

From his view of the Cleveland Cavaliers rivalry that will be revived on Monday at Oracle Arena to the notion that he might play his entire career in a Warriors jersey to much more, the one-time NBA champion, three-time gold medalist and two-time All-Star was his candid self. The days of Thompson being the quiet type have long since passed, as he has become one of the more outspoken players on this star-studded Warriors roster. And these days, with the Warriors still evolving with Kevin Durant in tow and looking to avenge the title that escaped them last June, there’s plenty to talk about.

On his personal success, which includes averaging 21.3 points (third on the team behind Durant and Stephen Curry) and 17.3 shots (second behind Durant) while playing strong defense on the perimeter (the Warriors are fourth in defensive rating, allowing 104.7 points per 100 possessions) …

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“It's just surreal. You look back on it, playing for team USA, starting shooting guard for Team USA, then being a starting shooting guard on a championship team, and even starting an All-Star game," he said. "I never would have envisioned this, (that) within six years of my career, and the success our team has had (this would happen).

“So for me, I pinch myself all the time, and I'm so thankful I get to come to work today. I tell myself every day, 'I get to work out for a living and put a ball in a hoop.' That really helps me ... I couldn't imagine what else I would do if it wasn't for hoops, so I'm very thankful I'm in this position. That's why I just work so hard is because I don't want to slip back, per se, or not be at this level anymore, because I've seen how much fun it is playing in front of 20,000 people every night, having endless media coverage, it's amazing. When I was in the league (early), it was the Miami Heat - they were obviously with that Big Three and what they were doing, that game was always the game. Now it's when the Warriors come to town, it's like the circus is in town. It's pretty exciting, and that's why I work so hard, that's why everybody works so hard is because we don't want to not be at this level anymore. We've been here, we've seen it, and we just want to build something special here.”

On losing to the Cavs on Christmas Day…

“We had a 14-point lead (in that game). There's a history between both teams, (and) we wanted to send a message that it's going to be a tough out every time they see us. And obviously we know (they could meet again) down the line in June, so …

“That's why we wanted to win so bad, you know, is because we still have a bad taste in our mouth - as we should, we're competitive. But it didn't help. We were right there. We had the game in hand. We just didn't play Warriors style brand of ball, so give them credit though - they beat us. And it's one regular season game, so you can't get too caught up in what we did wrong and the whole rivalry and all that.”

On the Cavs’ Halloween antics that served as salt in the wound …

“It's obviously not respectful, so it's got to be on the other side of the spectrum, so that's fine with us. They can do that childish stuff. It doesn't matter to us. All we've got to do is handle it on the court, you know?

“No, it didn't (come up on the court in the Christmas Day game). But shoot, it might have (to). I mean, I still think we need to play with more of an edge next time we see them … I mean when we won the championship, though, we didn't do some stuff like that. But that's OK. People are built differently. We're not going to - I'm not going to hold it against them. I'm just going to go out there, and we just want to beat them down next time we see them. That's how it is. Hold that in the memory bank, and just remember that they do that stuff…It's a good rivalry, and it's good for the NBA. It makes it more fun, you know? It's rare in pro sports you get rivalries like this, so we enjoy it, and we embrace it.”

On the secret to the Warriors’ success this season …

“No one complains about touches. No one complains about playing time. Everyone accepts their role. Most importantly, we put winning on a pedestal. We don't care about being All Stars or our individual numbers dipping. We just realize that it means nothing if we don't finish the job out. That's what we learned last year, and ... that's why Kevin joined us, was to build something special here and compete for championships for years to come, and I think we have that ability.

On the possibility of him signing an extension two summers from now and perhaps playing his entire career for Golden State …

“I try not to think that are ahead, but I'd love to be here for as long as I can. What we've built here is so special, and I love living in the Bay Area, so that would be a huge priority of mine … I just feel like if I play hard and work hard every day, I'll get rewarded no matter what I do, so I'm not going to get caught up with the numbers and how much money I could potentially make because it'll all come around. You've just got to stay humble and be appreciative of what I have. And if I keep working this hard, I'll be rewarded.

“I think I was raised right, with my Dad (Mychal Thompson, the two-time champion with the Lakers and current broadcaster and radio personality) telling me not to play this game for money but play for the love of it and you'll be rewarded … I'm happy the way NBA players get paid; we deserve it for the revenue we bring in for this league, and I'm just thankful I'm here. I know if I just keep doing what I do, I'll be rewarded hopefully for a long time.”