Western Conference Finals - Leonard eliminates Durant, 121-118 (4-0)

Kawhi Leonard hit a 3PTer at the buzzer to win the West.

On the brink of elimination, the Golden State Warriors came out firing on all cylinders, going up by 12 points early. A huge 42-33 final quarter by the Spurs made the unlikely possible for the Spurs, playing the road villain in this game. They got close enough to make every Warriors fan uneasy in the stands, the score 59-52: Golden State at halftime, but just 79-85 heading into the be-all, end-all quarter. Mario Hezonja got them within 6 points at the buzzer, splashing in the 3PTer.

After a steal by Leonard led to a jumper for Tony Parker to tie the score at 85, the French floor general hit a 3PTer next, thanks to Mario Hezonja's steal, granting the Spurs an 91-88 advantage--a brisk turn of events to begin the quarter.

Klay Thompson was a lethal weapon in the final quarter.

Meanwhile, Klay Thompson caught fire for 27 points, making shot after shot after shot. "It seems he never misses those catch-and-shoot opportunites," Mike Breen remarked from the commentary booth. Iman Shumpert played Thompson hard each time, making his own shots in response, a whip pass by Tony Parker giving Shump a 3PTer on the wing, the ball splashing through the net to make it 107-101.

Pau Gasol would draw a foul making a layup, notching 20 points on the night, pouring on pressure for the home team. Kevin Durant would make a put-back dunk and two more jams on top of that one, watching Zaza Pachulia's layup cut the lead down to just a single point. Kawhi Leonard would make both free throws in crunch time, and Golden State took a final timeout. The inbound to Durant led to a swarm by a double team, the ball escaping into Steph Curry's hands beyond the 3PT marker. Curry would get trapped, with San Antonio scrambling back to Durant in the corner, whose shot would go in.

The ever-clutch KD nearly saved the day for his team.

118-118, with 4 seconds left on the clock.

"You can't just let your team self-destruct here in these clutch moments," Jeff Van Gundy spoke on the sidelines. The inbound pass to a streaking Kawhi Leonard, who would then bump into Durant, blocking off the drive attempt, would free up the agile Leonard just enough to rise to the side of Durant, stepping past his long frame, as Klay Thompson also offered a hand to contest the shot.

The ball went in.

Kawhi Leonard led his team to the NBA Finals...once again.

After intense replay deliberation, the referees would put .4s back on the clock. A desperate inbound to Curry, whose shot misfired, followed and Golden State's season was officially over. In this epic war, Kawhi Leonard had 26 points and shot 4/8 from long range with 2 blocks. Both teams shot over 50% from the field, with the Spurs making one more three-pointer than the Warriors. An overtime period looming, that one extra make was The Claw's and it caused just enough separation of victory.

Mario Hezonja turned in another strong game with 22 points on 7/14 shooting. Pau Gasol had 7 rebounds also, as Jeremy Lamb delivered 15 points showing off his athletic repertoire. Iman Shumpert had 12 points; Patty Mills had 10 points with 6 assists and Tony Parker chipped in 7 points with 4 assists during that 4th Quarter upswing for San Antonio. Their season and championship aspirations at a premature but fair close, Steph Curry had 16 points and 11 assists; Draymond Green had 12 points with 2 blocks; Zaza Pachulia gave 14 points with 11 rebounds and Kevin Durant's 26 points and game-tying 3PTer will be remembered in unison with Klay Thompson's masterful 27 points that included a handful of long range strokes. The Warriors missed four free throws, but the two top seeds in the west combined for just 13 turnovers.

Ousting King James from his Eastern Conference Throne, DeMar DeRozan's Toronto Raptors await the Spurs, eager for their first Finals and to serve as the final defiance for the defending champions, posing a fresh challenge to San Antonio's conquest.

The Raptors finally bested the Cavaliers, 4-2, to reach the NBA Finals.