For the first time in what feels like a very long three years, the Golden State Warriors are heading back to the NBA Finals.
After a lackluster Game 4 from the starting unit, the focus was there on Thursday night as Golden State stumped the Mavericks in a 120-110 win.
“I’m still hungry, I want some more stuff”
It really hasn’t been that long.
There are 21 franchises that haven’t been to the Finals in more than a decade.
But we’re talking about the Golden State Warriors.
And when you get accustomed to the success the Warriors have found and the regularity with which they’ve found it, every year the results don’t match up with that standard feel magnified.
It’s why whenever this run comes to an end, it will be a brutally rude awakening. But that day doesn’t appear to be coming any time soon.
The Warriors still want more. And they’re heading back to the Finals for the sixth time in eight years. Given what it’s taken to get back to this point, it might be even more impressive than their five in five run.
To quote legendary Bay Area rapper Too $hort, on “Gettin’ It,” Curry and co. are “still hungry,” they still “want some more.”
They’re on the doorstep of gettin’ it.
Four more games and the dynastic trio of Curry, Thompson and Green will have four rings each. Steve Kerr will have nine combined as a player and a coach.
At this point, who’s going to say this team isn’t about to win another one?
This team has secured a road win in 24-straight playoff series and regardless of who comes out of the East — it will be Boston — or whatever shape that team is in, the Warriors will have home court advantage in that series.
As Too $hort continues, this thing’s still kicking.
“It’s been a long time baby since I first got down,
But it still keep makin’ these funky sounds”
It’s been nine years since this run was born in earnest, when Curry was still baby-faced and he, along with a Year 2 Thompson and rookie Green made their playoff debuts. There’s every indication they’re going to keep this thing going, at least to hit that decade mark.
Game 5 Klay
There’s always been the talk of “Game 6 Klay” and yes, Thompson has had some tremendous Game 6 performances, scoring 25-plus in six of his last seven Game 6 appearances.
But for his career, Thompson has actually averaged more, if only slightly in Game 5s.
Following Thursday night’s 32-point performance (12-of-25, 8-of-16 from deep), Thompson’s now averaging 22.15 points per game in Game 5s and 20.67 points per Game 6s.
This was a seminal Klay Thompson performance.
With Stephen Curry (15 points, 5-of-17 shooting, 2-of-7 from deep) struggling and Andrew Wiggins missing all seven of his threes, Thompson was masterful from the jump.
When he gets in a rhythm by hitting shots early, creating his own buckets on drives and making mid-range jumpers, there’s not too much you can do.
The Warriors only really ever need one of Thompson, Poole and Curry to have that sort of game, too.
Championship depth
It’s hard to quantify “championship DNA.” Is it a real thing? Did the Warriors not have championship DNA until they won a title?
What’s clear is that to win a title, you can’t just be top heavy. Even when Golden State had Kevin Durant they had a bevy of capable veterans like Shaun Livingston, Andre Iguodala, David West and Marreese Speights. You could argue they were at their thinnest in their catastrophy-induced Finals loss to Toronto.
This team has valued highlighted that depth this year.
Even with the likes of Iguodala, Gary Payton II and Otto Porter Jr. out hurt, this team has gotten production out of every single player on their bench this series.
Six players finished in double digits on Thursday night (Thompson-32, Wiggins, 18, Green-17, Poole-16, Curry-15, Looney-10).
What’s incredible about this team is how players step up so consistently. Moses Moody, a 19-year-old who sat most of these playoffs, showed up with some huge minutes in this series, and got 7 points of his own.
Draymond Green had a fairly rough series, but he showed up when it mattered. He scored a couple buckets, including an and-1 to start the fourth quarter after the Mavericks closed the third on a 22-7 run.
He was the aggressive version of himself that usually results in success for Golden State, finishing with 17 points, 9 assists and 6 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Kevon Looney remained an immovable force inside, tallying 10 points, 18 rebounds and 4 assists while wreaking havoc on defense.
He was astoundingly good in this series, and so was Andrew Wiggins, who had 18 and 10, plus some relentless defense.
This is a team that can win in multiple ways. When it’s committed, as it was in Game 5, it’s hard not to think they’re about to win another title.