Unshakable Klay Thompson moment reveals why the Mavericks were always his destiny

After a disastrous fourth quarter of basketball for the Dallas Mavericks against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday, the Mavs need to hold their heads up high for at least the next couple of games.

With Kyrie Irving very close to returning from his back injury, the offensive juices should start to flow a lot more with Irving back on the court. The Mavs have been doing all they can, but with Irving set to come back, fans couldn't be more excited.

This tough stretch for the Mavs, which has been one of the worst in the Western Conference over the last 10 games (3-7 record), is giving Klay Thompson a mature aspect to this latest challenge of having to play without Luka Doncic and Irving.

Klay Thompson knows championships aren't won overnight

After the loss to Denver, Thompson discussed the importance of playing good basketball without Irving and Doncic. He mentioned that the process of handling these challenges is important, and that championships, of course, aren't easy to come by.

“Not looking ahead and realizing championships aren’t won just because of a great run in the playoffs, but you have to build great chemistry before that," Thompson said.

He also said that battling adversity is what's needed for any team to win a championship.

Thompson, as a four-time champion, knows this as well as anyone else. He's as right about this as he can be. Even though he won a championship in just his fourth season with Golden State, the Warriors got Steve Kerr, made a change to their starting lineup, and brought in Andre Iguodala.

This took a lot of changes that didn't happen overnight. Just like with Quentin Grimes, who's been described as possibly the "steal of the offseason," was a move that's aging like fine wine for the Mavs.

Naji Marshall has been one of the biggest successes of the Mavericks this season, as well as one of the Mavs' fan favorites already due to his tenacity and the spark that he brings every single game.

The idea of getting Doncic paired up with Irving was a project in the making, and it was Nico Harrison who found the right opportunity to bring in the perfect superstar alongside Doncic. Last year they performed better than anyone could have imagined as they reached the NBA Finals, and now Thompson is fitting into his puzzle beautifully.

It really takes a lot more than just battling injuries, it takes plenty of mental challenges, conditioning, hustle and even some luck. An 82-game regular season combined with more playoff games can take a toll on an NBA player in just one season, and it's time that fans should remember how tough it is to actually win a championship in any professional sport.

Thompson has embraced the challenge of having to play without Doncic and Irving, and him staying calm in these moments and knowing that it's just part of the journey shows that he is a great fit on and off the floor in Dallas. The Mavericks liked Thompson's leadership capabilities when they signed him, and he continues to show them off on a nightly basis. He has a championship mindset at all times, and that is something that you can't teach or put a price tag on.