For the third-straight season, the Golden State Warriors are heading to the NBA Finals.
Behind 29 points from Kevin Durant and 36 points from Stephen Curry, the Warriors defeated the Spurs 129-115 to complete the four-game sweep. Without Kawhi Leonard for the third-straight game, the Spurs had little chance and fell behind 31-19 after the first quarter. San Antonio would never come close to taking the lead.
For Manu Ginobili, the game may have been his final in the NBA. Throughout the ESPN broadcast, Mark Jackson, Mike Breen and Jeff Van Gundy talked as if Ginobili was planning to retire if the Spurs were to lose the game. In what may have been a hint of Manu’s impending retirement, Gregg Popovich gave the legend a rare playoff start. Ginobili left the floor to a standing ovation and “Manu” chants from the crowd:
Manu gets a standing ovation as he leaves the floor. (Via @BenGolliver) pic.twitter.com/L65WWUqKTg
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) May 23, 2017
As of press time, Ginobili has not said if this will be his last season. He will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
Stephen Curry passed Kobe Bryant for fifth all time on the NBA Playoffs three-pointers made list. He has hit 293 and needs to make 22 more to pass LeBron James.
Golden State awaits the winner of the Cavaliers-Celtics series. The Cavs hold a 2-1 lead and if they hold on, will face the Warriors in the Finals for the third-straight year–which would be a first in NBA history.
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