OAN’s James Meyers
12:50 PM – Tuesday, June 18, 2024
The Boston Celtics won their 18th NBA championship, putting themselves in a category that no other franchise has achieved.
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Boston dominated the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night in Game 5 in a score of 106-88, winning the 2024 NBA Finals, which gave the franchise their record-setting 18th NBA title on the 16th anniversary of the day they won their 17th championship against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Celtics were led by Jayson Tatum, who scored 31 points, 8 rebounds, and 11 assists. Finals MVP Jaylen Brown also poured in 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists as well.
“I mean, this is going to be a night that I will remember for the rest of my life, from the game, the celebration, these moments,” Tatum said. “Over the last couple years, we had some tough losses at home in the playoffs. We’ve lost the NBA championship at home in front of our fans. We had a chance to beat Miami in Game 6 a few years ago and lost that one.
“So to have a big win — the biggest win that you could have in front of your home crowd — I felt like that was really important to go out there and do everything in my power to make sure we won this game tonight.”
Jrue Holiday finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Kristaps Porzingis also gave the team and crowd a boost in spirit after missing games three and four due to a dislocated tendon. He finished with five points in 17 minutes.
Boston finished off a dominating postseason run that saw them finish 16-3 in the playoffs. They finished with an 80-21 overall record. The Celtics had a .792 winning percentage, which ranks second in franchise history behind the Celtics’ 1985-1986 championship team that finished 82-18 (.820%).
The Celtics responded in a big way Monday night after losing by 38 points on Friday night in Dallas during Game four.
Boston was able to secure a 21-point lead at halftime, with Peyton Prichard hitting another half-court buzzer beater to cap off a dominating first half.
After halftime, Boston was able to cruise to the 18-point victory, not allowing Dallas to get back in the game.
Kyrie Irving’s struggles continued in Game 5 after he admitted on Sunday that he has had difficulty playing against his former team. Irving went for a combined 13-for-37 in Boston in Games 1 and 2, and he finished with 15 points on a poor 5-for-16 shooting performance in Game 5.
However, Irving believes that the future is bright for the Mavericks.
“I see an opportunity for us to really build our future in a positive manner, where this is almost like a regular thing for us and we’re competing for championships,” he stated.
Additionally, Dallas’ coach, Jason Kidd, believes that his team will grow from the experience.
“I think the first step is just to be in it. I think that’s a big thing,” Kidd said. “Yes, we lost 4-1, but I thought the group fought against the Celtics and just, unfortunately, we just couldn’t make shots when we had to, or we turned the ball over and they took full advantage of that.”
NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown averaged 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5 assists for the series. He praised his teammates in a collective effort to achieve the title.
“I can’t even put into words the emotions,” Brown said. “It’s just I’m blessed and I’m grateful. This was a full team effort. We had a great team. My teammates were great. They allowed me to lead us on both ends of ball, and we just came out and performed on our home floor. It’s just amazing.
“You know, it could have gone to anybody. It could have gone to Jayson. Jayson, like I can’t talk enough about his selflessness. … I can’t talk enough about his attitude. It’s just how he approached not just this series or the Finals but just the playoffs in general. And we did it together as a team, and that was the most important thing.”
With the championship, Tatum and Brown finally were able to each get their first title after playing 107 games together, which is the most by any duo prior to winning their first NBA championship.
Meanwhile, Al Horford played in an eye-popping 186 postseason games before achieving his first title, the most in NBA history prior to getting the hardware.
“The first thing you have to do when you come here is you have to embrace that pressure,” Horford said. “And I was OK with being in that position. I was OK if we were getting criticized and we weren’t getting it done because I understood what it means playing here.
“Our group, we’ve had a lot of hardships the last few years. Last year, heartbreaker against Miami, Game 7. Year before, Golden State. It’s been building up. But this team has been resilient, and we’ve continued to work. I’m so proud of Jaylen, and I’m so proud of Jayson. Those two guys continue to take steps forward. People all year criticizing them, all that expectation, all the pressure.
“They did it. And they’ve done it at a young age. They led our group. I’m just very proud of those guys and to put everything aside and focus on winning.”
Boston controlled most of the series, winning the first three games of the series before Dallas was eventually able to win Game 4.
In spite of that, the Celtics were able to respond with one of its most complete games of the season in Game 5.
“This is unreal. I don’t think it really has hit and settled in,” Celtics guard Derrick White said. “This is a special group of guys, a special coaching staff that I’m just thankful to be a part of. Yeah, it’s unreal. I’m just trying to enjoy the moment and not get too lit.”
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