Programming note: Watch the NBA Finals pregame edition of Warriors Outsiders on Friday at 4 p.m., streaming live on the MyTeams app.
About 30 minutes before the opening tip of Game 3 of the NBA Finals, the Warriors announced that Klay Thompson would not play.
After the Warriors' 123-109 loss to the Toronto Raptors, Golden State head coach Steve Kerr was asked if that's when the team officially determined that the five-time All-Star was going to remain on the sideline.
"That's internal business," he told reporters.
Kerr was in a much more revealing mood Thursday night. During a radio appearance on KNBR 680, he provided very specific details about when and how the team told Klay he wasn't going to take the floor:
"Yesterday, he came into the gym in the morning. He got shots up and he ran and he moved. He said he felt pretty good.
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"And then we convened Rick [Celebrini] our trainer, Bob Myers and I -- all went and met with Klay. And he said, 'I want to play.' And we asked Rick, we said, 'What's the risk if he plays tonight?' And he said, 'Well the risk is it's only been two days since the injury. There is a tweak. The risk would be he pulls it, it gets worse and he's out for the series.'
"And the next question was, 'If he misses tonight's game and gets two more days of treatment and rest, do you feel pretty good about where he would be then?' And Rick says, 'Yes. There's no guarantee of anything, but an extra two days rest and therapy is absolutely gonna help him.'
"And so at that point, we explained that to Klay. He wants to play and we just tell him, 'Sorry, we have to protect you from yourself.' Because he'll play through anything."
[RELATED: Klay explains thoughts on Warriors owner pushing Kyle Lowry]
The Warriors knew hours prior to the start of Game 3 that they would be without the two-time All-NBA selection, but waited as long as they could to keep the Raptors guessing.
The good news for the Dubs is that Klay will suit up on Friday night in Game 4 at Oracle Arena.
"I just can't wait to get out here tomorrow," he told reporters.
