May 26, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) and guard Stephen Curry (right) hug after winning game five of the 2022 western conference finals against the Dallas Mavericks at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
The Golden State Warriors punched their ticket to the NBA Finals with a commanding Game 5 performance to put away the Dallas Mavericks.
Steph Curry and the Warriors are heading back to the NBA Finals after a two-year absence. You can bet Oracle Arena loved every second of Thursday night.
Golden State couldn’t close out the series in Game 4 in Dallas so they came out in Game 5 looking like a team on a mission. By halftime, they had a 69-52 lead. They just had to survive a series of second-half comeback attempts by the Mavericks to win,120-110.
Klay Thompson was on fire, knocking down eight three-pointers to finish with 32 points. Kevin looney was a beast on the boards with 18 rebounds. Curry and Draymond Green each dished nine assists.
They were too much for Luka Doncic to overcome with his 28 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
Best reactions to the Warriors’ Game 5 win over the Mavericks
Here’s how Twitter reacted to the game and Golden State’s Finals trip.
For two years it looked like the dynasty in Golden State was finished as Curry and Thompson dealt with injury and the team took a sharp dip. Steve Kerr persisted and now he’s put his team four wins away from yet another championship.
The Warriors get to sit back and wait to find out who they will face in the NBA Finals. They could know as soon as Friday night. The Celtics are up 3-2 on the Heat going into Game 6.
Golden State has never faced Miami in the playoffs. They lost in the NBA Finals to the Celtics way back in 1964. That was their last playoff meeting with Boston.