Golden State Warriors Ends 'Fasting' To NBA Finals, Steven Kerr: Tonight Is Different

The Golden State Warriors advance to the NBA finals. (Photo: Instaram @warriors)

JAKARTA - The Golden State Warriors are confirmed to appear in the 2021/2022 NBA Finals. This is the first time the Warriors have reached the final since the last time they did so in 2019.

The Warriors got a ticket to the final after beating the Dallas Mavericks 120-110 in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals at Chase Center, California, Friday, May 27, morning of GMT+7 (Western Indonesian Time or WIB). The Warriors won 4-1 over the Mavericks.

Klay Thompson performed brilliantly with 32 points. Andrew Wiggins added 18 points and 10 rebounds.

While Draymond Green got 17 points, Jordan Poole got 16 points, Stephen Curry scored 15 points, while Kevon Looney also contributed 10 points and 18 rebounds.

In the opposing camp, Luka Doncic had 28 points, nine rebounds and six assists for the Mavericks. However, assistance only came from Spencer Dinwiddie who scored 26 points, while Dorian Finney-Smith scored 13 points and Jalen Brunson had 10 points, according to the NBA's official website.

"Tonight is different because we've done the same thing before, but in a different way. It means a lot considering everything we've been through together over the last few years," said Warriors coach Steven Kerr, as reported by ESPN.

From the initial edge to the disbanding bell, the Warriors did not let the Mavericks feel the advantage. The Mavericks' tight resistance was also not enough to prevent the Warriors from closing the first quarter with a 28-23 advantage.

The Warriors then shot to pocket an additional 41 points in the second quarter to widen their margin of advantage to 69-52 over the Mavericks.

The Warriors' dominance continued until they felt their biggest lead by 25 points at 87-62 after Curry hit a floater with five minutes 41 seconds left in the third quarter.

However, the Mavericks promised a revival momentum when they cut the gap thanks to a streak of 22-7 points remaining in the third quarter to close the period with a score of 84-94.

Unfortunately, Doncic, who had scored 21 points in the previous three quarters, seemed to be getting tired, while his colleagues at the Mavericks could not provide much assistance.

The points earned by the two teams were evenly matched by 26 throughout the fourth quarter, which was enough for the Warriors to lock up a 120-110 win and score a ticket to the NBA Finals.

The Warriors will await the winners of the Eastern Conference finals where the Boston Celtics temporarily beat the Miami Heat 3-2. The series of NBA Finals is scheduled to take place starting Thursday, June 2, next week.