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Warriors earn trip back to Finals

OAKLAND, Calif. – Stephen Curry dribbled every which way and drained yet another 3-pointer in the waning moments, pulled his jersey up into his mouth and yelled to the rafters in triumph once more.

A special, record-setting season saved for the defending champs, with a memorable comeback added to the long list of accomplishments.

Now, the MVP and his teammates are playing for another NBA title – just as they planned all along.

Bring on LeBron James once more.

Curry and Klay Thompson carried the 73-win Warriors right back to the NBA Finals, as Golden State rallied from a 3-1 series deficit to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 96-88 on Monday night in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals.

Curry scored 36 points with seven 3-pointers to finish with an NBA-record 32 in a seven-game series, while Thompson added 21 points and six 3s, two days after his record 11 3-pointers led a Game 6 comeback that sent the series home to raucous Oracle Arena for one more.

The Warriors became the 10th team to rally from a 3-1 deficit and win a postseason series. They return to the NBA Finals for a rematch with James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, who lost the 2015 title in six games as Golden State captured its first championship in 40 years.

Game 1 is Thursday night in Oakland.

His signature mouthpiece dangling out and the game ball cradled in his left hand, Curry pumped his right arm as yellow confetti fell through Oracle Arena once the final buzzer sounded.

The Thunder trailing 90-86, Serge Ibaka fouled Curry on a 3-point try with 1:18 to go and the shot clock running out. The MVP made all three free throws, then a 3-pointer to seal it.

And Golden State’s beloved “Strength In Numbers” catchphrase coined by Coach of the Year Steve Kerr was needed in every way on this night to do it.

Cavs building chemistry

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio – As they jumped around the locker room dousing each other with ice water and howling after earning their second straight trip to the NBA Finals, the Cavaliers were one.

No out-of-control egos. No division. No squabbling. These were basketball brothers bonded by a common goal, ready to take on the world.

For months, that wasn’t the case.

Underperforming despite a trio of superstars and one of the league’s deepest rosters, the Cavs were imploding before a late-night meeting in New York helped save their season.

In the hours after a disappointing 104-95 loss to Brooklyn on March 25, the Cavs gathered in their Manhattan hotel and cleared the air.

“Once we had that meeting, I just think the team understood what we needed from each other to win – if we wanted to win,” coach Tyronn Lue said Monday. “And I give them credit. They bought into it and you’ve seen the results of it.”

With two series sweeps and a tougher-than-expected matchup with Toronto, the united Cavs have gone 12-2 in this postseason and are awaiting the Oklahoma City-Golden State winner in this year’s finals. It’s possible they will host Games 1 and 2, but if not for that after-hours talk they had in March, Cleveland’s title run may have ended weeks ago.

The troubling loss to the Nets – LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love went a combined 1 for 11 in the fourth quarter – was the low point in a season that included questions about whether Cleveland’s front office had made a mistake in re-signing Love to a maximum contract, Irving’s health, and whether James would bolt again as a free agent.

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