Celtics Dominate Mavericks In Game 5, Win Record 18th NBA Title

After halftime, Boston held off Dallas and won by 18 points.

Kyrie Irving admitted playing against his former team was tough on Sunday, and his struggles continued in Game 5. Irving made just 13 of 37 shots combined in Games 1 and 2 in Boston, then finished with 15 points on just 5 of 16 shots in Game 5.

But Irving believes the Mavericks’ future is bright.

“This is pretty much a daily thing for us and we see it as an opportunity to build our future in a really positive way for us, competing for championships,” he said.

Plus, Dallas coach Jason Kidd believes his team will grow from the experience.

“The first thing is to go out there and I think that’s the key,” Kidd said. “Obviously we lost 4-1, but I thought our team played well against the Celtics. Unfortunately, we either didn’t make shots when we should have or we got the ball stolen from us and they took full advantage of us.”

NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown averaged 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and five assists in the series, and he praised his teammates for their unified effort in winning the title.

“I can’t even put into words how I feel,” Brown said. “I just feel blessed and grateful. This was a total team effort. We had a great team. My teammates were great. They allowed me to lead the team offensively and defensively. And we just performed on our home court. It’s just awesome.”

“That guy could have been anyone. It could have been Jason. I can’t say enough about how selfless Jason was. … I can’t say enough about his attitude, the way he approached not just this series and the Finals, but the playoffs in general. We did it together as a team. That was the most important thing.”

The win allowed Tatum and Brown to finally win their first title after playing 107 games together, the most games played by any duo prior to winning their first NBA championship.

Meanwhile, Al Horford played in an astounding 186 postseason games en route to winning his first title, the most in NBA history prior to winning the trophy.

“The first thing you have to do when you come here is embrace the pressure,” Horford said, “and I was comfortable being in that position, comfortable being criticized, comfortable not performing, because I knew what it was like to play here.”

“Our team has faced a lot of hardships over the last few years. Last year we had a heartbreaking Game 7 loss to Miami, and the year before that we had to deal with Golden State. The hardships have just piled up. But this team has persevered and kept working. I’m so proud of Jalen and I’m so proud of Jason. They both keep progressing. People have criticized them all year long, and they’ve had expectations and pressure.

“They did it, and they did it at a young age. They led our group. I’m really proud of them and they put everything aside and focused on winning.”

Boston dominated most of the series, winning the first three games of the series, but Dallas ultimately won Game 4.

Despite this, the Celtics were able to fight back in Game 5 with one of their most complete games of the season.

“It’s unbelievable. I don’t think it’s really sunk in yet,” Celtics guard Derrick White said. “This is a special team, special coaching staff and I’m just grateful to be a part of it. So yeah, it’s unbelievable. I’m just trying to enjoy the moment and not get too excited.”