The Golden State Warriors completed a 4-1 rout of the Dallas Mavericks to advance to the NBA Finals for the sixth time in eight years on Thursday.
Steve Kerr's team were prevented from completing a clean sweep against the Mavericks as they were taken to a fifth game in the Western Conference Finals earlier this week, but an inspired showing from Klay Thompson helped them secure a 120-110 win in Game 5.
Thompson ended the encounter with 32 points to his name to help the six-time NBA champions advance to the Finals for the first time since 2019, with the 32-year-old starring after his serious injury problems.
Thompson only returned to the court in January after dealing with an ACL injury and torn Achilles, which forced him to miss the entirety of the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons.
"I'm happy for everybody ... [but] it's hard not to be most excited for Klay," an emotional Kerr said after the game, as quoted by ESPN.
"The fight that he's been through to get back to this point. Just an incredible accomplishment for him. For him to be a part of it, he's so happy again. It's wonderful to see.
"To be in the finals six times in eight years, it just takes an enormous amount of skill and determination and work. To get back again is special for all of us. It's so difficult to get to the finals. It's exhausting, stressful, emotional."
Steph Curry also clinched the NBA's Western Conference Finals MVP award as the Warriors prepare to face either the Miami Heat or the Boston Celtics - the latter of whom hold a 3-2 lead in their Eastern Conference Series ahead of Friday's sixth game - in the NBA Finals.
Ben Knapton
