LOS ANGELES: Stephen Curry scored 36 points to lead the Golden State Warriors to a 96-88 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday and into an NBA title rematch with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Warriors, trying to cap a sensational season that included a record 73 regular-season victories with a second straight title, sealed the 4-3 series victory in the Western Conference finals on their home floor in Oakland, California -- clawing back after trailing 3-1 in the series.
The Warriors, who became the 10th team to rally from a 3-1 deficit to win a playoff series, host LeBron James and the Cavaliers in game one of the finals on Thursday.
"You've got to be appreciative of this accomplishment -- and look forward to getting four more wins," Curry said.
The Cavaliers won the Eastern Conference title, defeating the Toronto Raptors in six games to book a return trip to the finals, where they will try to avenge their six-game loss to the Warriors in last year's championship series.
The Warriors will be trying to become the league's first repeat winners since the Miami Heat -- then featuring James -- in 2012 and 2013.
Golden State had to dig deep to get the chance. After twice fending off elimination the Warriors trailed by as many as 13 in the first half on Monday and by eight early in the third quarter.
Curry, who earned Most Valuable Player honors for the second straight season, hit five of the Warriors' 10 second-half three-pointers as the reigning champions rallied again to oust the third-seeded Thunder.
"I knew we were ready for the moment," Curry said. "We were a mature basketball team that tried our best not to listen to the noise when we were down 3-1. ... In that locker room, the talk was positive."
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