Warriors advance to face Cavs in NBA Finals
The Golden State Warriors are headed to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1975! The “Dubs” beat the Houston Rockets 104-90 in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals. “Splash Brothers” Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are set to duke it out against LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and the rest of the Cleveland Cavaliers to settle who win the 2014/15 NBA championship.
Dwight Howard did his best to keep his team in the thick of things in the first half with some assertive plays in the paint, but it was not enough to contain the Warriors long-range assault. Howard finished with a solid double-double performance with 18 points, 16 rebounds, and four blocks. James Harden had an awful game, scoring just 14 points and setting a league Playoff record with 13 turnovers. He tried to carry his team, but his shooting 2-of-11 from the field indicated that it wasn’t his night to bear the burden.
Curry scored 26 points along with eight rebounds for Golden State, Harrison Barnes added 24, and Klay Thompson chipped in 20. Thompson’s health is a current cause for concern at the moment. He showed signs of a concussion after the game. He received a flying knee to the head from Houston’s Trevor Ariza in the fourth quarter.
“Klay Thompson was evaluated by the Warriors medical staff immediately after suffering an injury during tonight’s game and was put through a concussion evaluation,” the team said. “At the time he did not show any concussion-like symptoms. After the game he began to not feel well and developed concussion-like symptoms. He will continue to be evaluated by the team’s medical staff tonight.”
Thompson will have several days of rest before they face the Cavaliers in June 4th.
The Cavaliers will be a completely different challenge for the Warriors. Cleveland has better perimeter defenders and Golden State will have their hands full trying to contain the duo of LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. Will James find redemption and finally bring a championship to Cleveland, or will the storybook season of Curry and company find a happy ending?