There was no doubt in Beantown on Monday night. A Boston Celtics victory seemed inevitable in Game 5 of the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks at TD Garden. And that’s what happened, ending a 16-year championship drought.
The Celtics defeated the Mavericks 106-88 to win the NBA Finals in five games.
Boston won its 18th championship in franchise history, one better than the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA. It was sixteen years ago that the club last won the championship against the Lakers in 2008.
The Celtics’ win marks the second-longest streak without a championship in franchise history, spanning 22 years from 1986 to the now second-most recent title in 2008.
Monday’s loss to the Mavericks puts a disappointing end to their season, which saw their two biggest stars, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, underplay to their potential for most of the championship series.
Jayson Tatum cemented himself as one of the best players in the NBA by winning a title
Tatum was in tears after winning his first NBA championship against the Mavericks on Monday
Confetti began to fall at TD Garden to celebrate the Boston Celtics’ first title since 2008
This is a first championship for Boston’s young core of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, while also rewarding veterans like Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday.
Brown was named Finals MVP minutes after the win over Tatum.
A Payton Pritchard swish from beyond half court to beat the halftime buzzer apparently called “series” among the Mavericks, putting the Celtics up 21 with two quarters to go.
Boston held a double-digit lead for most of the game and the lead hovered around 20 points for the entire second half.
Brown and Tatum are 27 and 26 years old, respectively, giving Celtics fans hope that they won’t have to wait more than 12 years before banner No. 19 is raised.
The city of Boston remains the most dominant sports city of the 21st century.
This Celtics championship is Beantown’s 13th since 2000, with the Bruins now the only major four-sport team not to win multiple championships in the new millennium.
The New England Patriots have won six, all with Tom Brady leading the way, while the once-cursed Boston Red Sox have won four titles since the streak-busting season of 2004 began.
Al Horford came to the NBA in 2007 and eventually won his first championship with the Celtics
During the final seconds of the game, the Celtics bench began celebrating a title victory
Kyrie Irving congratulated his Celtics foes once the result was known before leaving the court
A Celtics fan holds a photo of Tatum, Doncic and Irving that helps describe the series
The final game of the NBA season was not without some turbulence. Celtics guard Derrick White chipped a tooth after a brutal collision with Dallas’ Dereck Lively during the second quarter.
Witte dived for a loose ball and almost suffered a horrific injury. As White moved headfirst to retrieve the rock, Lively planted his weight on him after losing the race against the ball.
Lively’s forearm landed on the back of White’s head, slamming his face into the hardwood.
Game 5 also marked the end of Irving’s return to the championship in Boston, where he scored 15 points on 5-for-16 shooting.
Celtics fans have shown their disdain for their former star and now-Maverick during all three games at TD Garden.