The Boston Celtics have won the NBA championship for the eighteenth time in team history.
The NBA Finals Game 5 on Monday saw the Celtics end the first quarter on a 9-0 run, and they never looked back as they defeated the Dallas Mavericks 106-88. The victory guaranteed the team’s first NBA championship since 2008 and a 4-1 victory in the NBA Finals.
When the Celtics walked the court for the first time in these Finals wearing their iconic green uniforms, they immediately established the tone. They then performed in a way deserving of those hues. It was also deserving of a team that amassed an NBA-high 64 victories during the regular season and generated some of the greatest advanced analytics in league history.
On Monday, they succeeded with defense. They used a three for it. Leading the way were athletes Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. They succeeded. It was the perfect way to cap off a historic Celtics season.
On Monday, Boston took the early lead, leading 9–0 as Jrue Holiday scored the first three baskets for the team. Finally, in the last two minutes of the quarter, Dallas struck back, cutting the lead to 19-18. However, the Boston lead increased to 28–18 with a 9–0 run to end the quarter.
More of the same was seen in the second quarter, which concluded with a buzzer-beating heave from beyond halfcourt by Payton Pritchard to increase Boston’s advantage to 21 points.
After the break, the Celtics did not disappoint. In the third quarter, Boston increased its lead to 26 points and prevented Dallas from ever getting close. The last quarter was a crowning achievement.
Tatum overcome with emotion, Brown wins MVP
Tatum assumed the lead as a scorer and facilitator on Monday night, following the Finals when he had seen Brown, Holiday, and Kristaps Porziņģis take center stage. With 31 points, 11 assists, 8 rebounds, and 2 steals, he lead the game. Only twice did he give the ball over.
When it was finished, he became so emotional that he hid his face in his hands while confetti dropped from the rafters. After that, he and his son, Jayson Jr., celebrated.
In addition, Brown finished with 21 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals. He averaged 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, and five assists throughout the course of the series, good enough to win him Finals MVP. He can quiet the doubters of his supermax deal and left hand for all time by adding the trophy to his collection among his MVP awards from the Eastern Conference finals.
Derrick White produced 14 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block, and another impressive performance on both ends of the court. He made four of eight long-range attempts to lead the Celtics.
Holiday scored 15 points, a team-high 11 rebounds, and four assists. He is now the missing component needed to complete a championship run for two separate teams.
With a 51-35 rebounding advantage, the Celtics as a team dominated the glass. They only gave over the ball seven times while forcing 13 Mavericks turnovers. Boston ended a recurring theme in the series by going 17 of 20 (85%) from the free throw line to gain a sizable advantage. Dallas shot 7 of 13 (53.8%), struggling once more.
The Celtics finished 13 of 39 (33.3%) overall after the break, slowing down from 3. But they shot 10-of-21 (47.6%) from beyond the arc to establish their 21-point halftime advantage.
Mavericks stars struggle again
It seemed as though the Mavericks, who stopped a sweep in Game 4 with a rout, left everything on the court in Dallas. From the first tip on Monday night, the Mavericks were outplayed and outmatched and offered little resistance to an overwhelming Celtics team.
With 28 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, and three steals, Luka Dončić led Dallas. He had trouble starting from 3 (2 of 9) and kept up his lackluster defense. Seven times, he turned the ball over.
Kyrie Irving, a former Celtic who looked overmatched in Games 1 and 2 in Boston, struggled once more on Monday night, shooting just 5 of 16 from the field while the home crowd taunted him nonstop. He had nine assists and 15 points in the end.
What this title means for Celtics
The Celtics’ triumph changes their legacy in a number of ways.
In the end, the Celtics broke free from their historic tie with the Los Angeles Lakers to recover their position as the only NBA champions of all time. Previously, the Lakers had defeated Boston with eight titles to one since 1986, including three straight since 2008 to tie the Celtics with 17 titles. With its eighteenth championship, Boston is once again unmatched.
Brown and Tatum have received certification. As the team’s shared faces for the previous six seasons, the All-Star teammates faced a lot of scrutiny and criticism for their failures on the biggest platforms. They witnessed Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors celebrate a championship at TD Garden in 2022, and they were bewildered by the Miami Heat in two Eastern Conference finals. Those queries have vanished.
In leading a team known for brilliance to championship triumph, Tatum and Brown have now joined an esteemed group that includes Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Larry Bird, Robert Parish, Kevin McHale, Dennis Johnson, JoJo White, Dave Cowens, John Havlicek, Bob Cousy, and Bill Russell.
In 2021, Brad Stevens, the president of basketball operations, brought his distinctive basketball mind from the Celtics sideline to the front office. Never content to settle for less, he kept adjusting the roster and eventually made moves that built championships, like bringing in Al Horford, Holiday, White, and Porziņģis. These choices were made in tandem with tough choices like parting with All-Star Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart, who were franchise favorites.
After Ime Udoka’s scandalous departure in 2022, head coach Joe Mazzulla was promoted. During his first season in charge of the team, which finished outside the NBA Finals, Mazzulla faced criticism. In his second season as an NBA head coach, he is currently a champion.
This triumph is seen by the Celtics as a beginning rather than an end. In their early twenties, Tatum (26 years old) and Brown (27 years old) aim to further establish their identities as icons of the Celtics franchise. But what a start to this championship campaign.
