Draymond Green: “We Back”

The Golden State Warriors make their return to the NBA Finals after a 120-110 series clinching victory against the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night. As opposed to Game 4, the Warriors came out with an energy level that showed they were ready to close this series. Led by Klay Thompson’s 8 three-pointers, Golden State’s offense overwhelmed Luka Doncic and the rest of the Mavericks to take home the win.

Here are some of the takeaways from the Warriors postgame pressers:

Klay Thompson: “All those days in the dungeon paid off”

Thompson was the star of the night after he led the team with 32 points while shooting 8-of-16 from the three-point line. He was on fire shooting the ball as he finished the game with a true shooting percentage of 64.0%. Putting the excellent performance aside, the true beauty of Thompson’s night is that it serves as validation for all the hard work and sacrifices he dealt with during his two years away with injuries. Thompson and other Warriors talked about it here:

Steph Curry: “We are extremely proud of what it took to get back here”

The Warriors will now have gone to the NBA Finals 6 out of the last 8 years, however this time feels different. There’s beauty in the struggle and Golden State has been through a lot of it the past 2 years. They dealt with the devastating leg injuries to Thompson as well as the various injuries to Green and Curry. This season in particular saw the Warriors’ core 3 play together for only 11 total minutes. This group is battle tested, and their postseason run is further evidence of their legendary chemistry together.

Draymond Green: “We got four more wins to get”

Although getting back to the Finals is great, the Warriors “Championship DNA” gives them the perspective that they aren’t done yet. Here’s Green and Curry ensuring Dub Nation that the team knows they still have a job to finish.

Quote of the Night

The quote of the night belongs to Draymond Green. He had a message for all the people who said the Warriors dynasty was over.

Recap

Thursday’s win advances the Warriors to the NBA Finals after their 4-1 series victory over the Mavericks. They will now await the winner of the Eastern Conference Championship between the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat. Until then, they get a week off before Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday, June 2^nd, in the Chase Center.