The Boston Celtics their NBA-record 18th title in front of their fans on Monday night. It was the epitome of a team that was build from the ground after the club decided to develop a group around Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. After losing Game 4 in blowout fashion, the Celtics needed to end the season in Boston Garden and they did by beating Dallas 106-88.
The Celtics did not crumble under pressure this time as the Dallas Mavericks tried to desperately capitalize on the Game 4 momentum to start Game 5. However, their shots did not fall; Doncic missed his first six 3-point attempts and finished 12 of 25 from the floor.
The Slovenian scored 28 points with 10 of them coming in the fourth quarter where the Mavs did not get closer than an 18-point margin. He added 12 rebounds but also had seven turnovers. Irving was 3 for 9 from 3-point range and 5 of 16 overall. He had nine assists but 15 points – six of them in the fourth quarter.
It wasn’t a great night for Dallas. Though, the Celtics knew that they needed to perform to put Doncic and co. away. Boston were ahead most of the way and led by as many as 26, feeding off the energy of their fans.
Jayson Tatum had a massive closing game with 31 points and 11 assists, while Jaylen Brown added 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists. It was the 107th playoff game for the duo of Brown and Tatum, who saw their efforts get rewarded after many heartbreaks involving a loss to the 2022 NBA Finals despite being up 2-1 in the series against the Warriors.
Of course, last season, when the Celtics could not stop the Miami Heat from going up 3-0 before returning to 3-3 but losing Game 7 to experience another disappointment. On Monday, it was a night to remember.
Jrue Holiday, who won his second title in the last four seasons finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Center Kristaps Porzingis also provided an emotional lift, returning from a two-game absence to register five points.
Celtics earn first NBA title in 16 years; Brown wins Finals MVP
It was a long waiting for the hungry Boston Celtics fans who watched the team getting close to an NBA title this past six years. For the Celtics, it was the second NBA trophy to win this century in the 16th anniversary of capturing their last Larry O’Brien Trophy in 2008.
Boston was dominant on the way to their 18th title registering the second-best winning percentage in a season only behind the 1985-86 Boston Celtics team. The Celtics experienced defeat in only 3 of their 19 NBA playoffs games, while they finished the season with an 80-21 overall record.
Jaylen Brown was awarded the Finals MVP after also winning the most valuable player award in the Eastern Conference Finals. Brown bounced back from a playoff-low 10 points in Game 4 to lead Boston to a 4-1 series victory over Dallas.
Brown averaged 20.8 points in the Finals with 5.4 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.6 steals while shooting 44% from the field.
