NBA PLAYOFFS WARRIORS 104, ROCKETS 90

Curry lifts Warriors into Finals

Golden State’s Stephen Curry, who missed part of the second and third quarters against Houston on Monday with a head injury, celebrates after scoring 26 points Wednesday night to lead the Warriors back to the NBA Finals for the first time since they won the championship in 1975.
Golden State’s Stephen Curry, who missed part of the second and third quarters against Houston on Monday with a head injury, celebrates after scoring 26 points Wednesday night to lead the Warriors back to the NBA Finals for the first time since they won the championship in 1975.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- After a generation of wishing and waiting, the Golden State Warriors have finally arrived on basketball's biggest stage again.

Stephen Curry had 26 points and eight rebounds, Harrison Barnes added 24 points, and the Warriors advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time in 40 years with a 104-90 victory over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night.

NBA playoffs

CONFERENCE FINALS

(Best-of-7)

TUESDAY’S GAME

Cleveland 118, Atlanta 88

Cleveland wins series 4-0

WEDNESDAY’S GAME

Golden State 104, Houston 90,

Golden State wins series 4-1

"Why not us?" Curry said to a roaring, golden yellow shirt wearing crowd after the Warriors received the Western Conference trophy from Alvin Attles, the coach of their last championship team in 1975.

The Warriors shook off a slow start and sweated out a shaky finish in Game 5 to close out the Rockets and set up a matchup with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers beginning June 4.

It was hardly the prettiest performance, but it's one they'll savor nonetheless.

Yellow streams and confetti fell from the rafters when the final buzzer sounded. The Warriors shared hugs and handshakes, and the crowd chanted "M-V-P!" for Curry, who relished the moment on the court with his 2-year-old daughter, Riley.

"We deserve to celebrate tonight, but we've still got unfinished business and it's a long time coming for the Bay Area," Warriors guard Klay Thompson said.

All five Rockets starters scored at least 10 points, with Dwight Howard leading the way with 18 points and 16 rebounds, but MVP runner-up James Harden had a forgettable finale. Harden had a playoff-record 13 turnovers and scored 14 points on 2-of-11 shooting.

"Tried to do a little bit too much and turned the ball over and gave them easy baskets in transition," Harden said. "This isn't where we wanted to end at. It's a really good season for us. Next year we want to be better, and we will."

Curry said he had no lingering effects from his frightening fall in Game 4 that left him with a bruised head and right side. The MVP wore a protective yellow sleeve on his right arm, which he shed in the third quarter after shooting 4 for 12 and the Warriors clinging to a 52-46 halftime lead.

Things got tougher on Curry and the Warriors when backcourt teammate Thompson faked a shot that drew Trevor Ariza in the air early in the fourth quarter. Thompson absorbed Ariza's knee to the side of his head, sending him to the floor.

Thompson, who finished with 20 points, remained on the ground for a minute before walking to the locker room. He came back to the bench after receiving stitches on his right ear.

The Warriors said he could've returned, but they never needed him. They started the fourth on a 13-4 run and held off Houston's last-ditch efforts on free throws.

Barnes highlighted the decisive spurt with a dunk that gave Golden State an 87-72 lead with 7:10 remaining. He flexed his muscles to the sellout crowd of 19,596, which spent the final quarter on its feet in anticipation of a celebration a generation in the works.

Now it's LeBron vs. Curry.

The four-time NBA MVP vs. the newly crowned MVP.

The hype has already started for two of the most popular and entertaining players in the NBA to take center stage for the championship, and it has a week to build even more before starting at Oracle Arena.

The conference title is the biggest accomplishment yet in what has been a rapid rise for a Warriors team that is beloved in the basketball-united Bay Area despite decades of futility.

Warriors co-owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber, sitting courtside next to rapper Kanye West, have turned the franchise into a contender since they bought the team in 2010. General Manager Bob Myers, the NBA executive of the year, has constructed a talented roster around Curry that has exceeded all expectations, and Kerr blended it all together beautifully after Mark Jackson's messy firing last May.

"I always think of Pat Riley's great quote when you're coaching in the NBA -- there's winning and there's misery -- and he's right," Kerr said. "It's more than relief. It's joy. Our players are feeling it. I know our fans are."

The Warriors rolled to a franchise-record 67 victories in the regular season and had little trouble dispatching New Orleans, Memphis and Houston in the playoffs. Now they are in the NBA Finals for the first time since winning the title in 1975.

Sports on 05/28/2015

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