Warriors trio again have look of champs
Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green picked up where they left off last time they were healthy in the postseason. The star trio that has been the core of a dynasty for Golden State got the Warriors back to the NBA Finals for the sixth time in eight years by beating Dallas 120-110 in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals. The Warriors are the fourth franchise in NBA history to make six Finals appearances in eight years and the first since Michael Jordan’s Bulls did it in the 1990s.
SAN FRANCISCO — Klay Thompson drained the 3-pointers. Draymond Green anchored the defense and even chipped in on the offensive end for a change. Stephen Curry capped off an MVP performance.
The trio that led Golden State to so much success in recent years is whole again and and has the Warriors in position for another title after advancing to the NBA Finals with a 120-110 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night.
“Like I’ve said over and over again, I’m going to keep saying it: No one has proven that they can move us off that spot,” Green said. “That’s the mindset we come into this thing with. We understand what it takes to win a championship.”
The triumvirate of Curry, Thompson and Green is in rarified air in NBA lore as the core of a team that has made it to six NBA Finals in an eight-year span. It’s an accomplishment only the greatest groups have reached with Bill Russell’s Celtics of the 1950s and ‘60s, Magic Johnson’s Lakers in the 1980s and Michael Jordan’s Bulls of the 1990s doing it.
Now the Warriors hope to add a fourth title to the ones they captured in 2015, ‘17 and ‘18 when the Finals start June 2 against either Boston or Miami. The Celtics lead the series 3-2 headed into Game 6 at home on Friday night.
“We’re happy to be here, but it would help our legacy a lot if we completed the mission and won the whole thing,” Thompson said. “We can be happy tonight, and we will be, I’ll celebrate tonight. But tomorrow when this Game 6 comes on, I’m turning the page and I’m scouting because we want to finish this thing off the right way.”
The last time the Warriors made it to the Finals they fell short, starting a two-year spiral filled with losing and injuries. Thompson tore his left ACL during a season-ending Game 6 loss in the 2019 NBA Finals.
Kevin Durant tore his Achilles’ tendon earlier that series and then left for Brooklyn that summer, leading to the Warriors finishing an Nba-worst 15-50 in the pandemic shortened 2019-20 season. Lakers to hire Ham: A person with knowledge of the decision says Darvin Ham has accepted an offer to be the next head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.
The person spoke with The Associated Press on Friday on condition of anonymity because the deal has not been publicly announced.
The 48-year-old Ham is getting his first head coaching job as the 28th coach in Lakers history. He has been an assistant to Mike Budenholzer with the Milwaukee Bucks since 2018, and he played a significant role in their run to the 2021 NBA title.
Ham will be the successor to Frank Vogel, who was firedonedayafterthelakers wrapped up one of the most disappointing seasons in NBA history by going 33-49 and missing the playoffs.