The defending champion Golden State Warriors completed their comeback from a 1-3 hole, beating the Oklahoma City Thunder, 96-88, in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals on Tuesday (Philippine time) at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California.
The Warriors played like a well-oiled machine in the deciding game, crawling back from a 13-point first half deficit and holding off a late rally by the Thunder to escape with the series-clinching win and be crowned Western Conference champions for the second straight year.
Reiging MVP Steph Curry once again stepped up for the Warriors with 36 points while Klay Thompson added 21 as Golden State advances to the finals to take on the Cavs, the same team it faced in the finals last year.
After trailing by as many as 13 in the fourth, the Thunder, who had three chances of ousting the champs in this series, came to within four in the final minutes until Curry stepped up and made six straight points to shut the door.
The Warriors, who topped the regular season in historic fashion finishing with a 73-9 record, are the third defending champions to come
back from a 1-3 deficit in NBA history.
Kevin Durant led the losing squad with 27 points while Russel Westbrook chipped in 19.