The Golden State Warriors advanced to their sixth NBA Finals in eight seasons and first since 2019 after beating Dallas Mavericks.
Game 5 Klay looked a lot like Game 6 Klay.
Klay Thompson shimmied his way to 32 points as the Golden State Warriors advanced to their sixth NBA Finals in the past eight seasons by beating the Dallas Mavericks 120-110 in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals on Thursday night.
Also read: 'Game 6 Klay' trends after Golden State Warriors seal NBA Western Conference finals berth
Thompson scored 19 points in the first half, including a 3-pointer that he punctuated with teammate Stephen Curry's signature shake as the Warriors raced out to a 17-point halftime lead and coasted the rest of the way.
Andrew Wiggins added 18 points and ten rebounds, Draymond Green scored 17 points, and Curry had 15 points and nine assists for Golden State Warriors.
Luka Doncic overcame a slow start to score 28 points for the Dallas Mavericks. Spencer Dinwiddie added 26.
"I should’ve had 10 3s, I left like three on the board tonight. But whatever. I'm so happy to be back. I am so thankful to this team. These guys carried us to an incredible start. Me coming back in there... I don't want to get emotional, but I can't believe we are back. This is crazy. I am going to enjoy this tonight. Still have four more to go, Dub Nation. I am going to soak this tonight. I can't believe it. I really can't believe it," said Thompson after this win.
Soak it in,
Four more to go. pic.twitter.com/wmqINkhs4M
Meanwhile, Curry, who earned the honors of being named the inaugural Magic Johnson Western Conference final MVP, lauded Thompson's performance. "We saw what he went through these last two years, every single day rehabbing, grinding, putting his body back on the line to be back out here, for this moment," he said.
After missing the playoffs in 2020 and 2021 in back-to-back injury-plagued seasons, the Golden State Warriors are returning to a familiar stage. They are the first team to make six final appearances in eight years since the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls had a pair of three-peats from 1991-93 and 1996-98.
Golden State Warriors will host the winner of the Eastern Conference finals between Boston and Miami on June 2 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. The Celtics hold a 3-2 lead heading into Game 6 at home on Friday night.
'Game 5 Klay' trended on Twitter immediately after Warriors reclaimed their spot in the NBA finals. Here's a look at some of the reactions on the micro-blogging site:
19 points in 18 minutes.
Game 5 Klay. 👀 pic.twitter.com/fxH32YMz96
Klay Thompson in Game 5:
32 points
8 threes
Unconscious. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/GLFMRs0qLk
Game 5 Klay. pic.twitter.com/odSRCcENhq
— Golden State LATAM (@GoldenStateLAT)Game 5 klay should be a thing
— Austin reaves=goat 33-49 (@SBull08)Game 5 Klay gave Game 6 Klay the week off.
— Chris Mangan (@ManganTime)Game 5 Klay, Strength In Numbers, Now We Wait
Three takeaways from the Warriors' win over the Mavs to reach the NBA Finals https://t.co/Ovwl8xqCfi
Value Bets 2/3✅✅
Props bet 7/9✅✅
1 more rebound from Doncic and 2 from Draymond and it'll have been 160 odds in the bag for our props bet tonight, but we'll take it🥂🥂✌️
And yeah, Game 6 Klay did show up in Game 5✅
Unto the next one 🚶♂️ https://t.co/Rdtu5JjpfD
Game 5 Klay is pretty good, too. https://t.co/8nN9vEEmPG
— Jason Slagle (@slagle_jw)Game 5 Klay pic.twitter.com/heO1RHqPM6
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame)Klay Thompson persevered after missing TWO years with injuries & dropped 32 PTS on 8/16 3PM in GS’s close-out Game 5.
“I don’t want to get emotional. Im so happy to be back. I’m gonna soak this in tonight. But, we got four more.”
Klay’s heading back to the Finals! Legend! ‼️❤️ pic.twitter.com/OmCZrBldiB
Klay Thompson tonight:
32 Points
3 Assists
2 Rebounds
8 3PM
Game 5 Klay 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/vg9CSWVOgG