The Boston Celtics captured the NBA Finals on Monday night, defeating the Dallas Mavericks 106-88 in Game 5 at TD Garden.
It’s the Celtics’ 18th championship and their first since 2008. Boston currently holds the most titles in league history, one more than the Los Angeles Lakers.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown led the team to an important win.
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Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) drives with the ball while Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (left) and forward P.J. Washington (25) defend during the first half of Game 5 of the NBA basketball Finals, Monday, June 17, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Tatum played 45 minutes and scored 31 points. He also had 11 assists and eight rebounds, becoming the first Celtics player to record 20 or more points, 10 or more assists and five or more rebounds in an NBA Finals game since Larry Bird in 1986.
“I did it!” Tatum yelled while speaking with ESPN’s Lisa Salters.
Brown finished with 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
He was named NBA Finals MVP.
Veteran Al Horford, who entered the NBA in 2007, finally won his first NBA ring. He recorded 9 points and 9 rebounds.
Kristaps Porzingis, who was injured throughout the Finals, played 16 minutes and scored five points in Game 5.
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Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) reacts after the second quarter of Game 5 of the 2024 NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks at TD Garden on June 17, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. (Peter Casey – USA Today Sports)
This is the first championship as head coach for Joe Mazzulla, who took over after the Ime Udoka scandal engulfed the franchise last season, and Mazzulla’s leadership has helped the Celtics stay united and focused on the task at hand: winning an NBA championship.
Boston was able to keep defense at the forefront throughout the series, allowing Dallas to score over 100 points only once during the series and holding them in check for the majority of Game 4. The team shot 11-of-37 from the 3-point line.
Kyrie Irving scored 15 points but made just 5 of 16 field goals. Luka Doncic led Dallas with 28 points. He also had 12 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals.
The Celtics were the NBA’s best team, finishing the season with a 64-18 record and heading into the playoffs with hopes of hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy at the end of the season. Boston lost to the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 Finals and to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals last year.
Boston’s revenge tour began with a win over the Heat in the first round to put some of the negative effects of last season behind them, then the Celtics beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games and swept the Indiana Pacers in the conference finals.
The Celtics started well against the Mavericks, holding teams to under 100 points in each of their first three games.
Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (center) runs toward the basket as Dallas Mavericks forward P.J. Washington (right) defends and Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (left) looks on during the first half of Game 5 of the NBA basketball Finals, Monday, June 17, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Boston lost Game 4 on the road, 122-84, but bounced back at home to win the championship.
Since the Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish dynasty of the 1980s, the Celtics have won just one title since 1986.
The last time they did so was in 2008, with the Big Three of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett.
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Now, Boston has time to celebrate again, firmly back at the top of the NBA.
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