Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant led the way as the Golden State Warriors sealed a clean sweep of the San Antonio Spurs to reach their third consecutive NBA Finals on Monday.
Curry scored 36 points and Durant weighed in with 29 as the Warriors powered to a 129-115 win to complete a 4-0 victory in the best-of-seven Western Conference finals series.
It was the third consecutive series sweep of the 2017 postseason for the Warriors, who are now 12-0 in the play-offs heading into the finals.
Durant, who attracted controversy after his blockbuster move from Oklahoma City Thunder last year to Golden State, was delighted to be back in the NBA Finals once again.
The 28-year-old forward, who also pulled down 12 rebounds and contributed four assists, said he and Curry had rediscovered their understanding following the mid-season injury that sidelined him for 20 games.
Kevin Durant, right, believes his chemistry with Stephen Curry, left, is “getting better and better”. Ronald Martinez / Getty Images
“Our chemistry is getting better and better and we’re going to need it even more whoever we play in the finals,” Durant said.
“It’s great to be one of the last two teams standing — we’ll see what happens.”
Spurs fans meanwhile bade what looked like a farewell to 39-year-old Argentine Manu Ginobili, who was given a rousing ovation as he left the court, and San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich spoke of Ginobli in glowing terms.
“This is a hall of fame player who allowed me to play him off the bench for the last decade or something because it would make us a better team overall,” Popovich said. “He’s a big reason for our success. He deserved to have that night of respect so that he really feels that we appreciate everything he’s done for us over the years.
“If he decides he’s going to play again that’s up to him. Manu is a grown man. He’ll figure out what is best for him and his family.”
Man Ginobili waves to the crowd inside the AT&T Center following San Antonio’s Western Conference finals defeat to Golden State. Ronald Cortes / Getty Images
The depleted Spurs, missing the injured Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker, were always chasing the game as the powerful Warriors offence dominated almost from first to last.
The Warriors win keeps them on course for an unprecedented third consecutive NBA Finals meeting with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who lead their Eastern Conference finals series against Boston 2-1.
The Spurs were always struggling after an early points blitz from the Warriors that saw the visitors power into a 31-19 at the end to silence the AT&T Center crowd in Texas.
The writing was on the wall from the moment the Warriors reeled off 13 unanswered points to grab a 21-7, giving the contest an ominously familiar pattern.
Thereafter the Warriors comfortably kept the Spurs at arm’s length, with their multifaceted offence proving too much for San Antonio.
The Warriors maintained a 14-point cushion at half-time to lead 65-51 and opened the second half with a 25-foot three-pointer from Thompson to make it 68-51.
They remained 96-78 ahead at the end of the third quarter and there was only going to be one winner from there, with the Warriors keeping the score ticking over to the buzzer.
* Agence France-Presse
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