Golden State Warriors back in NBA finals for first time in 40 years
After a generation of wishing and waiting, the Golden State Warriors have finally arrived on basketball’s biggest stage again.
Stephen Curry had 26 points and eight rebounds, Harrison Barnes added 24 points and the Warriors advanced to the NBA finals for the first time in 40 years with a 104-90 victory over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night.
“Why not us?” Curry said to a roaring, golden-yellow shirt wearing crowd after the Warriors received the Western Conference trophy from Alvin Attles, the coach of their last championship team in 1975.
We deserve to celebrate tonight, but we’ve still got unfinished business and it’s a long time coming for the Bay Area
The Warriors shook off a slow start and sweated out a shaky finish in game five to close out the Rockets and set up a matchup with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers beginning on June 4.
It was hardly the prettiest performance – but one they’ll savour nonetheless.
Yellow streams and confetti fell from the rafters when the final buzzer sounded. The Warriors shared hugs and handshakes, and the crowd chanted “M-V-P!” for Curry, who relished the moment on the court with his two-year-old daughter, Riley.
All five Rockets starters scored at least 10 points, with Dwight Howard leading the way with 18 points and 16 rebounds. But MVP runner-up James Harden had a forgettable finale.
Harden had a play-off-record 13 turnovers and scored 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.”
Curry said he had no lingering effects from his frightening fall in game four that left him with a bruised head and right side. The MVP 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 half-time lead.
Now it’s LeBron v Curry.
The conference title is the biggest accomplishment yet in what has been a rapid rise for a Warriors team beloved in the basketball-united Bay Area despite decades of futility.
Warriors co-owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber, sitting courtside next to rapper Kanye West, have turned the franchise into contenders since they bought the team in 2010. General manager Bob Myers, the NBA Executive of the Year, has constructed a talented roster around Curry that has exceeded all expectations. And first-year coach Kerr blended it all together beautifully after Mark Jackson’s messy firing last May.
“I always think of Pat Riley’s great quote when you’re coaching in the NBA, ‘There’s winning and there’s misery.’ And he’s right,” Kerr said. “It’s more than relief. It’s joy. Our players are feeling it. I know our fans are.”
