Klay Thompson Beats Steph Curry's Playoff Record as Warriors Advance to the NBA Finals

The Golden State Warriors completed their return to the NBA Finals as they beat the Dallas Mavericks in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals, 120-110, at Chase Center on Thursday.

After their victory, per NBC Sports, Head coach Steve Kerr looked back at a moment that happened seven years ago when he was the team's new coach.

"I guess it would have been seven years ago when we beat Houston to get to the Finals to beat Houston. We were up 10 or 12 with 30 seconds left. The place was just rocking and I looked through the arena and I couldn't believe we had gotten to the Finals."

Kerr went on to say that their latest win, which earned the Warriors their sixth NBA finals appearance in eight years, means different for him.

"We've done it before. But in a different way, it was incredibly meaningful given everything that we've been through organizationally over the last couple of years."

The Splash Brothers Still Got It

The Golden State Warriors' return to the championship round highlighted the triumphant comeback of the "Splash Brothers" Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, who both suffered injuries in recent seasons. The two proved to everyone, especially to critics, that they are still the deadly tandem of sharpshooters that revolutionized basketball.

Thompson scored 32 points against the Dallas Mavericks, hitting eight 3-pointers on 50 percent shooting. His performance outside the arc on Thursday was his fifth playoff game, with at least eight 3-pointers made, the most in the history of the NBA.

"Tonight marked Klay Thompson's 5th career Playoff game with 8+ 3PM, passing Stephen Curry (4), Damian Lillard (4), and Ray Allen (4) for the most such Playoff games in NBA history, " per NBA official Twitter page.

Stephen Curry also made history by becoming the first player in NBA history to win the Magic Johnson Western Conference Finals MVP award. He averaged 23.4 points and 7.4 assists in the series, leading the Golden State Warriors to a 4-1 win over the Dallas Mavericks, per CBS Sports.

Disappointing Performance From Luka

Meanwhile, Mavericks' superstar Luka Doncic got criticized for his lackluster performance on Thursday night's game, which was a do-or-die situation for their team.

The Mavericks' star failed to put out a heroic performance in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals. Doncic scored six points on 2-of-12 shooting in the first half. TNT analyst Stan Van Gundy, on the other hand, was not apprehensive about his shooting.

YardBarker reports the former NBA coach chastised Doncic for his poor effort on defense.

"For the second play in a row, Doncic does not run back, Reggie. He's putting his team at a tremendous disadvantage. Nobody's expecting him to be a stopper defensively. But you've got to give an effort if you're a team leader," Van Gundy told fellow commentator Reggie Miller.

Another analyst and basketball legend was also upset with Doncic's performance. At halftime, Charles Barkley said he was "very disappointed" in the Slovenian basketball star.

"He's not competing," Barkley remarked.

Tags

NBA, NBA Playoffs, Golden state warriors, Dallas mavericks, Stephen curry, Klay Thompson