Golden State Warriors Return to the NBA Finals After Two Year Hiatus

Klay Thompson scored 32 points and Kevon Looney had a double double with 10 points and 18 rebounds to lead the Golden State Warriors to a 120-110 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 5 of the NBA Western Conference Finals May 26th. The victory clinched the series 4-1, sending Golden State to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2019 and the sixth time since 2015.

Golden State has had three core players—Thompson, Stephen Curry, and Draymond Green—present for all six of these Finals appearances. The Warriors won three of the first five (2015, 2017, and 2018) while falling to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016 and Toronto Raptors in 2019. Thompson suffered a torn ACL in the 2019 finals, and missed the next two regular seasons with that and an Achilles injury. Kevin Durrant, who won titles with Golden State in ’17 and ’18, missed the 2019-20 season with an Achilles injury, signed with Brooklyn after that. Golden State was just 15-50 in the 2019-20 season, the worst record in the NBA. They recovered somewhat in 2020-21, finishing at 39-33. Now they’re back in the Finals, just two years after finishing last.

Golden State will take on the winner of the Eastern Conference Finals. That series between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat is tied at 3-3.