On June 17th, the Boston Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks 106-88 on Monday night, record 18th NBA title and surpassing their long-time rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers. The Celtics dominated the series, winning 4-1, with their only loss coming in Game 4.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla, 35, praised his team’s determination, stating, “You have very few chances in life to be great. You’ve got to take the bull by the horns and you’ve got to own it, and our guys owned it.”
The Celtics controlled the game from the start, leading by 21 points at halftime and never relinquishing their lead. Their playoff run was equally impressive, losing only three games throughout the entire postseason.
Jayson Tatum, a three-time All-NBA first team selection, led the Celtics with 31 points, 11 assists, and eight rebounds. The victory came on the 16th anniversary of the Celtics’ last NBA title in 2008. Jaylen Brown, who scored 21 points, was named finals MVP. “It was a full team effort and I’m going to share this with my brothers and my partner in crime Jayson Tatum, he was with me the whole way,” Brown said.
The Mavericks struggled to keep pace with the Celtics. Luka Dončić finished with 28 points and 12 rebounds but committed seven turnovers and struggled defensively. Kyrie Irving, facing his former team, had another difficult night, scoring just 15 points on 5-of-16 shooting.
Despite the loss, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd remained positive, praising his team’s efforts throughout the season. “I thought the group did a great job,” he said. “Yes, we lost [the finals] 4-1 but they fought against the Celtics and unfortunately we just couldn’t make the shots that we had to, or we turned the ball over and they took full advantage. But there are lots of positives in this run.”
The Celtics’ championship victory puts an end to a series of near misses, having lost in the NBA finals two years ago and the conference finals in four of the last eight seasons. Tatum, addressing critics who doubted the team’s ability to live up to its promise, declared, “What are they gonna say now?”
The Celtics’ dominant performance throughout the season and playoffs solidified their status as one of the NBA’s most successful franchises.
