The Celtics defeat the Mavericks in game five and win their 18th NBA ring (106-88)

The Boston Celtics won the NBA title this Monday, defeating the Dallas Mavericks 106-88 (4-1 in the series) to reach their 18th ring. The Celtics are now the team with the most titles in NBA history since this new championship allowed them to break the tie with their eternal rivals: the Los Angeles Lakers (17).

Those in green had not won a ring since 2008 when Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen reached number 17, precisely beating the Lakers. Sixteen years later, the legendary franchise of Bill Russell, Larry Bird, Red Auerbach and many other basketball myths already has new gods for its pantheon with a team led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown (MVP of these Finals) who, from the beginning At the end of the season, he has been the unstoppable dominator of the league.

First in the East with the best record in the NBA (64-18), Joe Mazzulla’s men crushed all their conference rivals and also gave the very deserving Mavericks of a Luka Doncic with a tremendously damaged physique no chance in the Finals. The ring also represents the long-awaited redemption of the Jays, who had reached the Eastern final five times and the Finals once – not counting this one – always staying on the verge of glory, especially in those painful Finals lost to the Golden State Warriors in 2022. They will never have to listen to the criticism that claimed that they were not prepared to shine in the most important moments. Along with Tatum and Brown, the Celtics have enjoyed the most complete and overwhelming quintet of the season.

Porzingis’ return

Kristaps Porzingis – who returned this Monday after missing two games due to injury – and Jrue Holiday were two luxury signings and a multipurpose Derrick White rounded out that already unforgettable heroic quintet. From the bench, the first to come out was always another of the great protagonists of this tremendous evening: the Dominican Al Horford, who at 38 years old and after 17 seasons finally touched the sky of the NBA. That splendid collective game appeared in its fullness in the final match: Tatum almost reached the triple-double in his best game of the Finals (31 points, 8 rebounds and 11 assists); Brown had 21 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists; Holiday contributed 15 points and 11 rebounds; White added 14 points and 8 rebounds; Horford had 9 points and 9 rebounds…

…and also the team’s rebounding (51 for 35) and defense were up to par (29.7% in Dallas triples).

The Mavericks, who extended to 0-157 the historical balance in the NBA of teams with 3-0 against (no one has ever overcome it), ended with a bitter taste an otherwise fantastic campaign in which Doncic and Irving flew from the Hand, Dereck Lively stood out as a rookie and the signings of Daniel Gafford and PJ Washington allowed them to reign in the West.

Flatly inferior to these majestic Celtics throughout the series, the Mavericks had 28 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists from Doncic in their farewell while Irving went out again in Boston with only 15 points and 9 assists.

green glory

Like trembling children on the first day of school, the two teams entered the game. Nerves, inaccuracies and errors accumulated without pause in a first quarter that was more exciting than brilliant. The TD Garden, with an extraordinary atmosphere, was a green volcano long before the initial jump. But his eruption reached its maximum with the entry of Porzingis, already received as a true Boston hero despite being clearly diminished.

With hardly any sign of Doncic (5 points) and with Irving lost in combat (0), Josh Green gave oxygen to the Mavericks with two triples. But in the midst of uncertainty and hesitant hands, Brown and Holiday emerged, with 6 points each and a rabid defensive commitment. Precisely that toughness at the back and several counterattacks in a row propelled the hosts with a sensational 9-0 run to close the first quarter with high morale (28-18).

The second period was one of settling pending scores: if Boston had not shined in the triples until now and Tatum needed to explode in scoring, both things went hand in hand in that quarter. Tatum excelled with 12 points and a full stretch and the Celtics marveled from the perimeter with a great 7 of 11 in triples until scoring 39 points in that second chapter alone.

Payton Pritchard’s lace

The Mavericks began to melt without their stars being able to remedy it and the finishing touch was put by Payton Pritchard in one of those magical moments of the NBA: the little point guard dazzled with a three-pointer at the buzzer and from the center of the field, exactly identical to the amazing shot which he had already nailed in the second game in those impossible conditions.

With 67-46 and everything in their favor, the Celtics went to the locker room. Tatum (16 points and 9 assists), Brown (15 points) and Holiday (11) set the pace while Derrick Jones Jr. (10 points) was the surprising top scorer for a Mavericks without Doncic (9 points) and Irving (5 ). There was no indication that the Mavericks could orchestrate a comeback or come close to their magnificent level from Game 4. Not even a bad third quarter by the Celtics (29.2% shooting) allowed them to narrow a difference that no longer fell below 17 points no matter how hard Doncic tried with 9 points in that period. The last quarter started with an incontestable 86-67 and the Boston fans only had to count off the seconds to achieve ring 18 in a memorable night of green glory.