Golden State will play its sixth NBA Finals in eight seasons
MADRID, 27 May. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Golden State Warriors beat the Dallas Mavericks (120-110) in the fifth match of the Western Conference final, to put the final 4-1 in the series and sentence the team of the Slovenian Luka Doncic, for which the Steve Kerr’s advance to their sixth NBA Finals in eight years.
Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and company ended the dream of Dallas, who took refuge in a stellar Doncic in the third quarter of this fifth game to continue believing in a miracle that was finally impossible. The hard core of those from San Francisco, with Kerr at the helm, put the Warriors in history and become the fourth team – Jordan’s Bulls already did it in the 90s, Johnson’s Lakers in the 80s and the Russell’s Celtics in the 50s – to play in six competition finals in eight seasons.
Golden State returns to the Finals three years later, after a game in which the rebounds -51 for the Warriors, to 34 for Dallas- were key to the victory of Curry’s men, who did not have their brightest night. The point guard scored 15 points and distributed 9 assists, while Thompson was the game’s top scorer (32).
The Warriors knew how to suffocate the attempt of Dallas, who dreamed of a miracle thanks to a great third quarter finish by Luka Doncic (28 points), leader of his team’s improvement when they were 24 points down. The Mavericks managed a 15-0 run, but it was too late and the San Francisco team knew how to suffer to close their participation in the NBA Finals.
Golden State will face the winner of the Eastern final for the title, with the Celtics ahead (3-2) against the Heat. They will thus opt for their fourth ring in the last seven years.