The Golden State Warriors beat the Dallas Mavericks 120-110 in Game 5 of the NBA Western Conference Finals at Chase Center in San Francisco on Thursday to win the series 4-1.

Stephen Curry, who averaged 23.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 3.6 triples at 43.9 3-point percent for the Warriors during this series, was named the first ever NBA West Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP).

It was hard for anyone watching not to feel nostalgic when Shaun Livingston put the MVP trophy in Curry's hands and handed Draymond Green the NBA West Finals Championship Oscar Robertson Trophy. Livingston, a Warrior 1,102 days ago, reached the NBA Finals for the fifth straight time.

Now the Warriors are ready to play the NBA Finals for the sixth time in eight years. The last franchise with such a record was the Chicago Bulls between 1990 and 1998. Curry, Thompson and Green have been teammates for 10 seasons, longer than the partnership of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen for the "Bulls Dynasty."

The NBA Finals will begin at Chase Center on June 2. The Eastern Conference Finals will reach Game 6 at TD Garden in Boston on Friday. The Celtics, who lead 3-2 in the series, are one win away from joining the Warriors.

Curry was not in his best form on Thursday night, but he had nothing to worry about because his teammates stood out to carry the Warriors' offense. Thompson shot 8-for-16 from downtown to score a game-high 32 points, Green showed rare aggressiveness on the offensive front to get 17 points and nine assists, and Andrew Wiggins and Kevon Looney combined to grab 28 rebounds, including 10 on the offensive glass.

After the loss in Game 4 on Tuesday, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr continued to trust first-year rookie Moses Moody for his solid dealing with the ball and defense. Moody responded with extra offensive contributions of seven points in the second quarter, helping the team extend their lead to as much as 18 points (56-38).

Kerr made another bold decision in Thursday's game by giving Nemanja Bjelica over 21 minutes on the floor. The 34-year-old Serbian veteran displayed his experience, skills and reading of the game to contribute five points, six rebounds and three assists. These were not epic stats, but Bjelica played like a premium lubricating agent to facilitate the smooth operation of the complicated offensive machine of the Warriors.

Of course, Bjelica was attacked by Luka Doncic as a defensive weak link, and that's when Wiggins stood out to do what he did the best during the West Finals: contain Doncic. Like we said in the preview for this series, no one person can guard Doncic alone. However, Wiggins did a good job in making the Slovenian work hard for every point in most of the isolation possessions. Furthermore, in Thursday's game, his choice of double-teaming offered great protection to Bjelica.

Having shot 10-for-28 from the field, including 3-for-13 behind the arc, Doncic played his worst game during the West Finals. Despite that, he still had 28 points, nine rebounds and six assists. To set him free from the Warriors' tight defense, the Mavericks set more chances for him to receive the ball in the low post and attack closer to the rim. Nonetheless, it's not the most comfortable way for him to launch offense. Moreover, his body language betrayed clear signs of frustration as he couldn't draw the fouls he expected. It affected his performance, especially in his speed of returning to defense after a failed offense.

These are all fronts on which Doncic needs to improve, but let's not forget what an incredible player he already is. Having led the Mavericks to the playoffs for three straight seasons without an All-Star teammate, he has averaged 31, 35.7 and 31.7 points in the postseason for the past three years. He is already among the top three playmakers in today's NBA, despite being only 23.

The Mavericks performed surprisingly well with their five-out offensive scheme this season, but the team have obvious shortcomings. They trailed in rebounds by 154 in total against the three opponents in the playoffs. Neither does the team have reliable rim protection. They lack enough finishing ability in the paint, especially under the hoop. As a result, Doncic has to dribble to the frontcourt in most of the possessions to launch offense, which is why he is often exhausted in the second half.

The Mavericks' front office will have a lot of work to do during the offseason. Coach Jason Kidd has taught the team well in improving defense. Now he needs good material to do the same on offense.