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Golden State Warriors booked their passage to the NBA Western Conference finals for a second straight year by beating Portland Trail Blazers 125-121 in game five of their play-off series.
Newly-crowned league MVP Steph Curry hit the decisive three-pointer to complete a 4-1 series victory.
Klay Thompson scored 33 points with six threes, while Curry added 29 a day after becoming the first unanimous MVP in NBA history. He also added 11 assists after returning to the starting line-up for the first time all series following a sprained knee.
West finals two years in a row, it’s been a special, special season,’ Thompson said.
‘We know what it takes to win in the play-offs. That might be the closest five-game series of all-time.’
The Warriors got past Portland in the series despite playing without Curry for the first three games.
Draymond Green, who had his left ankle re-taped in the fourth quarter, had 13 points, 11 rebounds and six assists while Portland’s Damian Lillard scored 28 points and CJ McCollum had 27.
Now Golden State will wait for the conclusion of the Oklahoma City-San Antonio series, led 3-2 by the Thunder. With the banged-up Warriors able to use that time to get healthy.
They lost 7ft centre Andrew Bogut for the second half because of a right leg injury.
Thompson shot 13 of 17 from the field to become the first player to score at least five threes in seven straight games, also recording his fourth 30-point game this post-season.
Draymond Green, who grabbed 11 rebounds, enjoys a block party against the Trail Blazers’ CJ McCollum
‘Klay’s shooting was incredible tonight,’ Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.
‘Then the way Steph finished the game, that step-back shot to put it to a five-point lead was probably a shot only he can make.
‘A guttsy effort from a lot of guys. It wasn’t our best stuff, but we got it done.’
Damian Lillard was proud of the way his team performed against the reigning NBA champions
The Trail Blazers were 16 of 36 on three-pointers.
Lillard, an Oakland native, went for seven of 24 shooting in his final game of the season.
‘We should be proud of the way we pushed them,’ Lillard said. ‘It could easily have been a seven-game series.’