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Golden State Warriors best Houston Rockets to get to Finals

It was 40 years in the making.

The Golden State Warriors are back in the NBA Finals.

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Harrison Barnes was huge down the stretch, scoring 13 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter, to help the Warriors to a 104-90 win over the Houston Rockets in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals.

The reigning MVP Stephen Curry, who suffered a head contusion in the Rockets' lone win in this series in Game 4, registered a game-high 26 points with eight rebounds and six assists.

Klay Thompson, despite dealing with foul trouble and an ear laceration during the game, contributed 20 points in over 22 minutes of action.

Golden State returns to the Finals for the first time since 1975 when it swept the Washington Bullets in four games to claim the franchise's third title.

The Warriors will host the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers at Oracle Arena in Game 1 on June 4.

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Coming off a playoff career-high 45 points in Game 4, James Harden had a forgettable performance in this one. Harden finished with 14 points on 2-of-11 shooting, but he committed an NBA playoff record 13 turnovers. The last field goal from Harden came with 5:48 remaining in the first half.

Dwight Howard led the Rockets with 18 points and 16 rebounds.

[SportsNetwork.com]

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