Klay Thompson held back tears over making the Finals after grueling injuries sidelined him for more than 900 days

• The Warriors all celebrated Klay Thompson as they made it back to the Finals.

• Thompson missed over two seasons with a torn ACL, then a torn Achilles before returning this season.

• A choked-up Thompson said he dreamt of a return to the Finals during long days of rehab.

The Golden State Warriors are back in the NBA Finals after a two-year absence, and perhaps no one is happier than Klay Thompson.

It's been a grueling journey for Thompson to get back to this stage after tearing his ACL during Game 6 of the 2019 Finals, when the Warriors lost to the Toronto Raptors. He missed all of the 2019-20 season. Then, while rehabbing, Thompson tore his Achilles, setting him back another year, forcing him to return from two of the toughest injuries in sports.

Thompson was clearly emotional during the Western Conference trophy presentation.

"I'm just so happy to be back, I'm so thankful for this team," Thompson said on the PA, pumping his fist to a cheering crowd. He added: "I'm going to soak this in tonight. I can't believe it. I really can't believe it."

Thompson lowered his head amid more cheers and ducked away from the microphone.

Thompson also held back tears while speaking to ESPN's Jorge Sedano after the game, saying, "I dreamt of this day during some dog days."

Thompson made his return to the court this past January, playing in his first game in more than 900 days.

As expected, Thompson has shown rust this season, but he has come through when the Warriors needed him most. He scored 32 points and hit eight three-pointers on Thursday as the Warriors knocked off the Dallas Mavericks. Thompson also scored 30 points and hit eight threes in the Warriors' close-out win over the Memphis Grizzlies in the previous series.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Thompson reflected longer on the journey back to the court.

"This time last year, I was just starting to jog again and get up and down the court," Thompson said. "Now to be feeling like myself, feeling explosive, feeling sure in my movements, I'm just grateful.

"All those emotions kind of rushed through me, and I thought about our training staff ... They would tell me it would pay off. It was hard to see that at the time. Now to actually be here, I can feel it paying off."

The rest of the Warriors seemed exceptionally excited for Thompson.

Steve Kerr said: "It's hard not to be most excited for Klay."

"The two-year absence, the fight that he's been through to get back to this point," Kerr said. "Just incredible accomplishment for him."

Draymond Green called Thompson "a dog," saying: "It's incredible. That's a very resilient guy."

It's been a circuitous journey back to the top of the conference for the Warriors. They made five straight Finals from 2015-19 — then posted the worst record in the NBA in 2019-20 amid injuries to Curry and Thompson.

Kerr called the 2020-21 season a "springboard" for this one — the Warriors finished nine games over .500 but lost in the play-in tournament and failed to make the postseason.

This year was not without its bumps. The Warriors started hot but did not have Thompson for the first two months. Green got injured just as Thompson returned. Green made his way back turned in March, but the Warriors' Big Three played just one game together before Curry got hurt, missing the end of the regular season.

Prior to this playoff run, the Warriors had not gotten a long look at their full team.

"We talked about it at the beginning of the Denver series, like we had no clue really how it was going to shape out," Curry said after Game 5 on Thursday. "But you can build off of the experience that we've had over the last 10-plus years."

Now, the Warriors are four wins from the mountaintop. A fourth championship in eight years would establish them as one of the all-time great dynasties.

Nobody is appreciating it more than Thompson.

"Just my appreciation for moving my body again. I thought about that," Thompson said. "I thought about those days I couldn't run or jump, how lucky we are to do what we do."

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