Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Warriors Reach NBA Finals for 6th Time in 8 Years
The Golden State Warriors are back.
For the first time since losing to the Toronto Raptors in 2019, the Golden State Warriors are return to the NBA Finals. After finishing off the Dallas Mavericks, 120-110 in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals behind 32 points from Klay Thompson, the Warriors have a chance to snag their fourth Larry O'Brien trophy in eight years.
Coming off a lopsided affair in Game 4 that saw the Warriors trail by as many as 29 points, the Warriors controlled Game 5 for its entirety.
Thompson, who led all scorers, shot 12-for-25 from the floor, knocking down 8 of the 16 three-pointers he attempted. His 32 points matches his postseason high this year when he dropped 32 in a Game 4 loss to the Denver Nuggets in the first round.
Stephen Curry, who was named the Western Conference Finals MVP by averaging 23.8 points per game in the series, scored 15 points while dishing out a game-high 9 assists. While an ankle tweak in the first quarter appeared to limit his ability to be aggressive offensively.
Despite this, Curry was able to knock down what was essentially the dagger of the series — a corner three-pointer to put Golden State up 118-112 with two minutes to play.
Golden State will play the winner of the Boston Celtics - Miami Heat series, which Boston Currently leads, 3-2. Regardless of the winner, the Warriors will have the luxury of home-court advantage as they will host Games 1 and 2 to open the NBA Finals, which begin on June 2.
