(CNN Philippines) — The Warriors are the Western Conference champions.
Golden State used a 15-6 surge, with seven straight points coming from Harrison Barnes in that key stretch, to gain an 89-74 lead that never relinquished.
The Warriors continued to step on the gas and finished off the Houston Rockets, 104-90, in Game 5 of the National Basketball Association (NBA) Western Conference finals on Thursday (May 28) to book a return trip to the biggest stage they’ve never been to for 40 years.
Golden State will face LeBron James and his Cleveland Cavaliers in the finals that kicks off on June 5. The Cavaliers blanked the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference finals.
Read: Cavaliers sweep Hawks, enter finals
The series will see the current (Steph Curry) and former league Most Valuable Player (James) take on each other, and two rookie coaches (Steve Kerr of Golden State and David Blatt of Cleveland) lock horn in the last dance.
“We deserve to celebrate tonight but we’ve still got unfinished business and it’s a long time coming for the Bay Area,” Klay Thompson said.
Curry, who put the finishing touches to the victory by munching five of his last seven free throws, scattered 26 points on top of eight rebounds, six assists, and five steals.
Barnes added 24 points, while Thompson finished with 20 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the three-point area.
Houston star James Harden had a forgettable performance of 14 points with a horrible 13 turnovers.
Dwight Howard took over in his stead, scoring 18 points and grabbing 16 rebounds for the Rockets.
Read: Rockets wake up, beat Warriors in Game 4 to stave off elimination
