Barcelona’s tiki-taka the inspiration behind Golden State Warriors’ tactics: Klay Thompson

Speaking on TNT, NBA superstar Klay Thompson has hailed FC Barcelona and their tiki-taka style as the inspiration behind the tactics of his team, the Golden State Warriors.

The new season of NBA got underway recently and the Warriors kicked off the campaign with a victory over the LA Lakers, beating them 129-103.

Following the match, the Warriors received a lot of praise from NBA legend Charles Barkley for their movement and sharpness. In response, Thompson credited Barcelona’s tiki-taka style as the blueprint on which head coach Steve Kerr was basing the team’s tactics.

“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,” Thompson said.

“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,” he added.

The tiki-taka philosophy was made famous by FC Barcelona, particularly during the era of Pep Guardiola in the late 2000s and the early 2010s. During that period, the current Manchester City manager led the Catalans to as many as 14 trophies.

It draws from the ‘Total Football’ ideology of football legend Johan Cruyff and involves building play via a series of short, crisp passes to keep the ball moving constantly.

The tiki-taka style had been adapted by former Spain managers Luis Aragones and Vicente del Bosque as well, during La Roja’s successful phase when they won the FIFA World Cup and two UEFA Euro trophies.