Steph Curry's 26 points, Harrison Barnes' 24 points, and the help with James Harden's 13 turnovers helped the Warriors closeout the Rockets in game 5 of the Western Conference Finals. The Warriors got what they wanted and had Oracle Arena roar their way to an NBA Finals appearance.

"Why not us?" Curry said to the crowd after the game.

"The Bay Area's been waiting for 40 years," Curry said later. "I think it's time."

Dwight Howard led the Rockets with 18 points and 16 rebounds. James Harden had a rough final game of the series, with a playoff-record 13 turnovers and 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."

Just one game after Curry took a hard fall over Ariza, Klay Thompson pump-faked Arizona, getting him in the air and Ariza knee'd Klay on the head on his way down. Klay would leave the game and come back with stitches on his ear. The Warriors said he could have returned if necessary, but the Warriors didn't need him whatsoever.

"The guys fought hard," Rockets coach Kevin McHale said. "One thing about the team is that they were battlers, and a lot of guys in that room you feel pretty comfortable going to war with."

"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."

Now, the world is getting what most say could be the best NBA Finals option this season. Newly crowned MVP Stephen Curry vs. 4-time MVP LeBron James. It's one heck of a finals to think about and nobody could be more excited than this writer. June 4th seems so far away.

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About the author
Mitchell Evans
Mitchell Evans is an editor who covers League of Legends, Counter Strike, and many others.