Stephen Curry leads the Warriors into the Finals

So now comes the moment we've all waited for.

Yearned for.

Secretly expected and yet never truly believed could happen.

The Warriors are going to the Finals.

And who waits there? None other than the best player in the world, LeBron James.

This year, the NBA has experienced a sea change of sorts. There's a new favorite on the block. The cool kid heirarchy got shook all to hell.

Steph led the world in All-Star balloting.

Steph led the world in eye balls watching.

@SherwoodStrauss people love steph

— Mike Prada (@MikePradaSBN) May 29, 2015

And now, Steph will lead the Warriors into the Finals.

Lead them into whatever strange future they make of their own accord.

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I watched game five in the backyard of a music venue here in New York, having just finished playing a gig.

And by "watched," I mean: followed along on twitter.

Goddamn bar didn't have a TV and by the time I got done with my show it was almost the end of the third quarter. I was afraid if I ran off trying to find a TV, I might miss the whole fourth.

And plus, I had to wait around to get paid.

So I sat out in the backyard of this joint, following along. Refreshing the phone. Swiping down and down and down.

The air was moist and damp, warm, summer here to stay. Conversation was muted. Little gathered assemblages of Brooklynites smoking and drinking beer and basking in the night.

My little whelps of excitement/worry/cringing/laughing/rooting my ass off for Harrison Barnes were all met with bemused, confused looks from everyone else in the back yard.

But so what?

The damn Warriors are going to the damn Finals.

WHAT?

I know they've looked good all year, but the inner fan inside me just kept waiting for the whole thing to crash and burn.

Steph's scary injury from game four.

Those second and third Memphis games.

It seemed cruel, and yet inevitable, that they would make it so far only to fail.

I've grown accustomed to such things, rooting for this team my whole young life.

And yet, here they are. Four wins away from the Championship.

And there's LeBron. Waiting and scheming. Planning the downfall.

Good lord I hope the Warriors win.