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Warriors capture berth in Finals
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After a generation of wishing and waiting, the Golden State Warriors have finally arrived on basketball’s biggest stage again, booking their place in the NBA Finals with a 104-90 win against Houston on Wednesday in California.
Stephen Curry had 26 points and eight rebounds and Harrison Barnes added 24 points as the Warriors completed a 4-1 series victory and advanced to the Finals for the first time in 40 years.
“Why not us?” league MVP Curry said to a roaring crowd after the Warriors received the Western Conference trophy from Alvin Attles, the coach of their prior championship team in 1975.
“The Bay Area’s been waiting for 40 years,” Curry said later. “It’s time.”
The Warriors shook off a slow start and sweated out a shaky finish in Game 5 to close out the Rockets and set up a clash with Cleveland beginning on June 4.
Dwight Howard led Houston with 18 points and 16 rebounds. But MVP runner-up James Harden had a forgettable finale, with a playoff-record 13 turnovers and 14 points on 2-of-11 shooting.
“Tried to do a little bit too much and turned the ball over and gave them easy baskets in transition,” Harden said. “This isn’t where we wanted to end at. It’s a really good season for us. Next year we want to be better, and we will.”
It was a tough way for the Rockets’ run to end. They overcame a knee injury that sidelined Howard half the season to finish second in the Western Conference, played without starters Patrick Beverley and Donatas Motiejunas in the playoffs and rallied from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Los Angeles Clippers in the second round.
“The guys fought hard,” Rockets coach Kevin McHale said. “One thing about the team is that they were battlers, and a lot of guys in that room you feel pretty comfortable going to war with.”
Curry said he had no lingering effects from his frightening fall in Game 4 that left him with a bruised head and right side. He wore a protective yellow sleeve on his right arm, which he shed in the third quarter after shooting 4 for 12 and the Warriors clinging to a 52-46 halftime lead.
Things got tougher on Curry and the Warriors when guard Thompson faked a shot that drew Trevor Ariza in the air early in the fourth quarter. Thompson absorbed Ariza’s knee to the side of his head, sending him to the floor.
Thompson, who finished with 20 points, lay on the ground for a minute before walking to the locker room. He came back to the bench after receiving stitches on his right ear.
The Warriors said he could’ve returned if needed.
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