Soak it in Dub Nation, says Klay Thompson after Golden State Warriors return to NBA Finals

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.

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: