- NBA star cites football tactic as inspiration
- Helped Golden State Warriors win first game of new season
- Guardiola mastermind behind principals
WHAT HAPPENED? Following a victory against the Los Angeles Lakers in their opening game of the NBA season, Golden State Warriors player Thompson revealed that head coach Steve Kerr used Barcelona as an example for the team to follow with regards to their movement on the basketball court.
WHAT HE SAID: NBA legend Charles Barkley praised the Warriors movement while appearing as a pundit on TNT, saying: "You guys are the best without the ball that I have seen without the ball in a long time." Thompson replied: "I give credit to Steve [Kerr], he came in and he had a vision just to keep that thing hot. He gave us the perfect example of FC Barcelona, they call it tiki-taka. It's just kick it to the open man and with us give it to the open man, keep it moving and it just plays to me and Steph's [Curry] strengths so much."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Despite insisting his teams didn't play using the tiki-taka blueprint, Pep Guardiola is credited with popularising it with his Barcelona side in the late 2000's and early 2010's. The tactic was also used to great effect by the Spain national team, who clinched back-to-back European Championships either side of a World Cup triumph in 2010.
IN TWO PHOTOS:
Getty Images
Getty ImagesTIKI-TAKA EXPLAINED: Tiki-taka is one of the most successful tactics deployed in football. It involves a series of short sharp passing, keeping the ball moving constantly. It was an evolution of Johan Cruyff's total football tactic and also built on Frank Rijkaard and Louis van Gaal's desire to play using short-passing.