Just one game ago, the Golden State Warriors were faced with the fear of losing their best player to a nasty fall. Two days later, they're NBA Western Conference champions for the first time in 40 years.
The Warriors weathered a poor shooting start and five quick fouls on Splash Brother Klay Thompson (along with an ear laceration), pulling away from the Houston Rockets in the 4th quarter of Game 5 for a series-clinching 104-90 win.
Houston clamped down on the Warriors' perimeter shooters early, holding Golden State to a season-low 17 points in the first quarter. The Warriors would counterpunch, however, dropping 35 on the Rockets in the second with a balanced attack en route to a 52-46 halftime lead.
The team's traded blows in an even third quarter, but James Harden's turnovers and a late rally that went begging sealed the Rockets' fate, sending the Warriors to the big stage to duel with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavs in the NBA Finals.
Key Numbers: 19, 25
The Warriors dominated the bigger Rockets on the offensive boards, crashing the glass for 19 rebounds against just nine for Houston. In addition to that, Golden State passed circles around Houston -- dishing out 25 assists to 16 for the Rockets.
Golden State MVP:
He's been the unsung hero for the Warriors in these playoffs, but Harrison Barnes did work as the team's secondary scoring option with Klay Thompson off the floor for long stints. Barnes finished with 24 points on 10 of 20 shooting, adding seven rebounds in a career-defining performance.
Houston MVP:
Dwight Howard was the only Rockets player on Wednesday to augment his offensive game with ACTUAL rebounding. He finishes the season with a double-double flourish, posting 18 points and 16 rebounds and doing his best to make for James Harden's nightmarish 13-turnover performance.
What's Next?
Houston goes home for the offseason after losing elimination game #5 of these playoffs.
The Warriors will host the Cavs for Game 1 of the NBA Finals next Thursday at Oracle Arena in Oakland.
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